Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Will NOT Testify at the “Stairway to Heaven” Plagiarism Trial

Sorry, Zep watchers, but counsel for Messers Plant and Page (along with John Paul Jones, who had nothing to do with the writing of the song) have let it be known that neither will testify in the “Stairway to Heaven” plagiarism trial set to start in Los Angeles on May 10. The trial, pitting “Stairway” against passages in a 1967 instrumental called “Taurus” by Spirit.  Jury selection begins May 10 and is expected to last four or five days.

Quick, huh? There’s a reason for that, though.  Bloomberg reports the following:

The trial over whether Led Zeppelin stole the opening riff of “Stairway to Heaven” from a 1967 instrumental will be quick and focused and won’t include testimony about the band’s drinking and drug use, a federal judge said.

Each side will get 10 hours to argue its case before a Los Angeles jury next month, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner said in court Monday. He tentatively granted most requests by lawyers for band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, as well as record labels, to exclude evidence they claim would be irrelevant or prejudicial.

Many of the proposed witnesses would be repetitive and unnecessary, the judge said, adding that his time restrictions will be force the lawyers to present a clearer, more focused case to the jurors.“If you use up your 10 hours, you’re out — that’s it,” the judge said.

“If you use up your 10 hours, you’re out — that’s it,” the judge said.

LA correspondent, Pamela Chelin, will be covering the trial from start to finish. She supplied me with a list of exhibits expected to be brought fourth, a document that runs 393 pages. The most interesting items are audio recordings that compare the two compositions. The witness list (which runs 36 pages) features a variety of expert witnesses, including a musicologist who will hold forth on the two pieces of music.

This is gonna be interesting.