Led Zeppelin have lost the first round of the legal battle over classic track Stairway To Heaven.

It was raised in May by Mark Andes, bassist of Spirit, who claims the opening acoustic guitar phrase was lifted from their track Taurus. He believes guitarist Jimmy Page heard it while the bands toured together in 1968, three years before Stairway was recorded. But Page has dismissed the suggestion as "ridiculous."

Andes and the family of late guitarist Randy California launched their legal action in Pennsylvania. Led Zep’s lawyers arguing that the state’s Eastern District Court had no right to judge the case, because “the defendants are British citizens residing in England, own no property in Pennsylvania, and have no contacts with Pennsylvania.”

More here: http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2014-10-20/led-zeppelin-lose-s...