Michael Skidmore v.

Led Zeppelin
952 F.3d 1051 (9th Cir. 2020)

Everett W. Jankowski Sr. Stndnt#-0004975570

In this case it was presented that the plaintiff was out of payment for the work that Jimmy Page/Led
Zeppelin

had used said to belong to the plaintiff. A district court jury had found for the defendant [Led Zeppelin] that
the disputed works were not the same. However, the 9th circuit overturned that ruling,

“In September 2018 the Ninth Circuit vacated the district court’s jury’s decision, ordering a new trial
based on its belief that the lower court had erred in its instructions to the jury, thereby prejudicing its
members in favor of the defendants.”

Defendant: Led Zeppelin is a British Rock Band that came to America in the 1970’s, Known for "Good
Times Bad Times", "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown". Led Zeppelin
II (1969) was both their first number-one album and their second-biggest seller in most countries. It
yielded "Ramble On" and "Whole Lotta Love", a number-one hit in Germany and Australia, and a
top-five hit in most countries where it was released as a single, which did not include the UK. Led
Zeppelin III (1970), which reached number one in several countries, contained "Immigrant Song",
with the remainder being more acoustically based. Their untitled fourth album, commonly known
as Led Zeppelin IV (1971), is one of the best-selling albums in history with 37 million copies sold
and has been certified as double diamond in the US and Canada. Almost every song on it is an
AOR staple, but "Black Dog", "Rock and Roll" and "Stairway to Heaven" stand out, with the latter
being among the most popular and influential works in rock history. Houses of the Holy(1973)
yielded "The Ocean", "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Rain Song" amongst several notable
tracks. Physical Graffiti (1975), a double album certified 16x platinum in the US, featured "Trampled
Under Foot" and "Kashmir", a hard-rock classic.

Plaintiff: Spirit the original lineup of the group evolved from a Los Angeles band, the Red
Roosters, which included Randy California (born Randy Craig Wolfe; guitars, vocals), Mark
Andes (bass) and Jay Ferguson (vocals, percussion). With the addition of California's stepfather Ed
Cassidy on drums, and keyboard player John Locke, the new band was originally named the Spirits
Rebellious (after a book by Kahlil Gibran), but the name was soon shortened to Spirit. Before
returning to his native state, California previously played with Jimi Hendrix as a member of Jimmy
James and the Blue Flames in New York City's Greenwich Village in 1966. Hendrix gave Randy
Wolfe the nickname "Randy California" to distinguish him from Randy Palmer, whom Hendrix named
"Randy Texas".[1]
Cassidy was recognizable by his shaved head (hence his nickname "Mr. Skin", later the title of a
Spirit song) and his fondness for wearing black. Born in 1923, he was about twenty years older than
the rest of the group. Although his earlier career was primarily in jazz (including stints
with Cannonball Adderley, Gerry Mulligan, Roland Kirk, Thelonious Monk and Lee Konitz), he had
served as the founding drummer of Rising Sons, an early blues rock vehicle for Taj Mahal and Ry
Cooder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_(band)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin

https://bit.ly/3brjOaa