Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven verdict appealed

The plagiarism dispute over Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven is to go back to court, after an appeal was filed against June's verdict clearing the rock band of copying another song.

A jury found Robert Plant and Jimmy Page did not lift the opening chords of Taurus, written by US band Spirit.

Court documents show Michael Skidmore - who originally brought the claim on behalf of Spirit's late guitarist Randy Wolfe - has now lodged an appeal.

It is unlikely to be heard before 2017.

Mr Skidmore had argued that Wolfe deserved a writing credit, and that the trust set up in his name was due millions of dollars in damages.

But the jury concluded although Plant and Page had access to the song Taurus - as the two bands played on the same bill a year before Stairway to Heaven was released - the two riffs were not intrinsically similar.

At the weekend, Page issued a statement thanking fans for their support during the original trial.

"I have received and been aware of the overwhelming wave of support, encouragement, and congratulations that has been deeply moving," he wrote on Facebook, external.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to personally thank all those who contributed such a positive energy to me."

A representative for Led Zeppelin declined to comment on the appeal.