Led Zeppelin

  • Morning Docket: 10.07.20
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 10.07.20

    * The Supreme Court has decided not to hear a copyright infringement case involving Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Was really looking forward to a live performance at the Supreme Court… [Fox News]

    * The St. Louis couple, who allegedly pointed guns at protesters earlier this year, has been indicted for multiple felonies. [New York Times]

    * Two South Florida attorneys are alleged to have participated in a scheme to steal foreclosure sale proceeds. [NBC News]

    * John McAfee, the software engineer and namesake of the antivirus products, has been arrested on tax evasion charges. [New York Times]

    * E. Jean Carroll is seeking to prevent the Justice Department from becoming involved with her lawsuit which accuses President Trump of sexual assault. [CNN]

    * A local Pennsylvania District Attorney is in hot water after empty beer cans were found in his office. Hopefully the Pennsylvania residents were drinking a few Yuenglings… [NBC News]

  • Morning Docket: 08.19.20
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 08.19.20

    * A New York attorney, who billed himself as the “lottery lawyer,” is accused of swindling lottery winners out of millions. Hey, you never know…your attorney’s allegedly bilking you. [NBC News]

    * The top employment lawyer at Target is going to be the new top attorney for Minneapolis. [Minneapolis Business Journal]

    * A suspect in Florida walked out of a hospital just hours before he allegedly killed an Orlando-area attorney. [Fox News]

    * A ton of states are suing the United States Postal Service over anticipated delays in mail delivery. [Bangor Daily News]

    * A petition of certiorari has been filed at the Supreme Court for a copyright case involving Led Zepplin’s iconic song “Stairway to Heaven.” Hopefully the justices will demand a live performance. [Billboard]

  • Morning Docket 03.10.20
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket 03.10.20

    * Some are accusing Bernie Sanders of disparaging public defenders by alleging that the government does not provide “a decent lawyer” to those who are unable to pay for private counsel. [Fox News]

    * The Miami Heat organization is facing an intense FMLA lawsuit brought by a former associate general counsel of the team. It is generally unwise to mess with a lawyer on your payroll. [Corporate Counsel]

    * A U.S. Attorney is alleging that Prince Andrew is not voluntarily cooperating with federal authorities in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. [ABC News]

    * Led Zeppelin has won the longstanding “Stairway to Heaven” copyright infringement lawsuit. [Vulture]

    * A Florida prosecutor has been arrested for allegedly offering to help a criminal defendant in exchange for sex. [News-Press]

    * A lawsuit over profits from The Walking Dead television series has almost as many twists and turns as the show itself. [Deadline]

  • Morning Docket: 09.24.19
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 09.24.19

    * Boris Johnson unanimously smacked down by UK Supreme Court, a bizarre institution where jurists uphold the law regardless of whether or not it inconveniences one or the other political party. [Legal Cheek]

    * The biggest law firms in the world enjoyed a good year as the rich get richer. [American Lawyer]

    * The Supreme Court needs to branch out from Harvard and Yale when it comes to clerks. For that matter, it needs to branch out from Harvard and Yale when it comes to justices. [National Law Journal]

    * This is about well-being coordinators but holds a universal truth: firms hiring non-lawyer professionals probably should only focus on people familiar with the law firm environment. [Law.com]

    * Today’s the day Dershowitz tries to disqualify Boies Schiller from the defamation case against him. Let’s see how that pans out for him. [New York Law Journal]

    * The Ninth Circuit’s Stairway to Heaven case will ramble on. [Courthouse News Service]

  • Morning Docket: 08.20.19
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 08.20.19

    * Law firm expenses outpaced revenue for the first half of 2019 and there’s no way that’s going to come back and haunt us. [American Lawyer]

    * The DOJ is siding with Led Zeppelin in the Stairway to Heaven copyright fight. Good to know this DOJ has everything else under control. [Rolling Stone]

    * California has a new law that says police should only kill when “necessary” and consider the kind of dystopian world we live in where this needed to be spelled out in a law. [NPR]

    * Barr announces new BOP head to exploit Epstein’s death for the sake of some boondoggle in prison spending. [Courthouse News Service]

    * The NRA tried to insert itself into Oliver North’s deposition in an act of stunning chutzpah. They got denied. [Law360]

    * A follow-up on law student’s suicide and his family’s efforts to help others. [Good Men Project]

    * CFTC faces scrutiny for “being honest.” [National Law Journal]

  • Morning Docket: 07.11.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 07.11.16

    * In case you haven’t been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that recently raised salaries: Duval & Stachenfeld; Seyfarth Shaw; and Foley & Lardner. If you’re worried you’ve missed any of our coverage on pay raises, check out our omnibus 2016 salary chart where we collect these stories. [2016 Salary Increase / Above the Law]

    * Lawyers are “the best-paid writers in the world,” so grammar god Bryan Garner suggests they emulate one of the greatest language snoots of them all: the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Garner identifies with Scalia’s textualism because “[he] believe[s] that words have meaning, and that we should take them seriously.” [Wall Street Journal]

    * According to constitutional law scholar Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of UC Irvine Law, SCOTUS may be at a turning point since the next president will likely be able nominate up to four justices. “Whether you see yourself as conservative or liberal … this affects all of us, our most intimate and important aspects of our lives.” [Los Angeles Times]

    * Lawyers for Led Zeppelin are seeking about $800K in costs and legal fees for their defense of the seminal rock band in the “Stairway to Heaven” copyright infringement suit. Peter Anderson, the band’s lead counsel in the case, claims that his $330 per hour rate is “actually below” the going rate for this caliber of high-profile work. [Ars Technica]

    * Venezuelan authorities have arrested a woman connected to Mossack Fonseca, the firm at the center of the Panama Papers scandal, for allegedly being “in charge of seeking customers to invest illicit funds in outsourcing-type business arrangements.” She’s been charged with illegally obtaining funds in violation of banking regulations. [Reuters]

  • Sponsored

  • Non-Sequiturs: 06.24.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 06.24.16

    * An article advocating why we should prioritize free expression over intellectual property laws, and why the Led Zeppelin case is important. [Katz Justice]

    * Gay marriage is legal, but that doesn’t mean it is easy for gay couples to have children. [Esquire]

    * The best tips for dealing with bar exam stress. [Law.com]

    * Why is it that conversations about the future of legal education turn into flame wars? [Medium]

    * Evidence now suggests that the murder of Dan Markel was the second attempt on his life. [Tallahassee.com]

    * Looking for a new job, or even a new career? Some great advice. [Law and More]

    * The real hidden cost to Brexit? Brits can’t look down their nose on dumb Americans anymore. [New Yorker]

  • Morning Docket: 06.22.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 06.22.16

    * OK Cravathketeers! Sound off if you raised salaries yesterday. Greenberg Traurig (sort of)! Olshan (consistent with its existing scale)! Stroock! Haynes and Boone! [Above the Law / 2016 Salary Increase]

    * Second Circuit nixes former Bryan Cave attorney Harvey Newkirk’s effort to put off jail. [Law360]

    * Armed with well-compensated associates, Latham & Watkins targets laterals to its partnership. [The Am Law Daily]

    * Some questionable reasoning on the value of law school. Sure there are haves and have nots. But the conclusion is basically, “hey, a senator went to a mediocre law school, so… I guess those work out.” Not exactly encouraging. Especially when your example of a successful law grad is a guy who faced questions raised over his ability to cover his personal expenses. [New York Times]

    * The defense rested yesterday in the ongoing Led Zeppelin trial. I’m sure the closing will sound vaguely like someone else’s closing argument and spur another stupid lawsuit. [Courthouse News Service]

    * The ABA really likes Judge Merrick Garland. I’m sure that will melt hearts on Capitol Hill. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * Our compatriots across the pond talked Brexit with Shearman & Sterling partners [Legal Cheek]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 06.15.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 06.15.16

    * Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) is leading a filibuster to demand Congress actually act on gun control. Many Democrats and Republican Senator Pat Toomey have all spoken on the issue. [Slate]

    * Music is the first order of business in a copyright trial — well, when the subject of the complaint is Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, it is. [Courthouse News Service]

    * An analysis of the role of a human rights worker. [Lawyers, Guns and Money]

    * Gawker is under more legal threats, this time for writing an article about Donald Trump’s hair. [Law and More]

    * But Nick Denton assures us, despite legal threats and filing for bankruptcy, the business will be just fine. [Gawker]

  • Morning Docket: 04.21.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 04.21.16

    * Who says we have a divided Supreme Court? When it comes to mercilessly mocking bad advocates.[Slate]

    * The ongoing Led Zeppelin infringement suit takes a comical turn when someone uncovers a melody that sounds, well, at least as similar as the one Spirit bases its claim upon, in a Sonata from the 1600s. [Digital Music News]

    * “Was Kanye’s Tweet Legally Binding?” Society should punch itself that this is a valid question. [Corporate Counsel]

    * Compliance lawyers are increasingly concerned over their personal liability. Hey, this was all fun and games until someone said there might be consequences to this job! [Law360]

    * Judge Rosemary Collyer is taking senior status, creating a vacancy that I’m sure the Senate will act quickly and responsibly to fill. [National Law Journal]

    * An ICE lawyer gets 30 days in the slammer for forging a document to keep an otherwise legal Mexican immigrant out of the country. Maybe Donald Trump can pay his legal bills, too. [ABC News]

    * Oh great! Creating a new law school. [The News Tribune]

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  • Non-Sequiturs: 04.13.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 04.13.16

    * Led Zeppelin doesn’t want drug or alcohol evidence coming into the upcoming “Stairway to Heaven” suit. Good luck… it’s not possible to talk about that song without drugs. [National Law Journal]

    * A lot of small and solo lawyers are shy about big bills. They shouldn’t be. [Business of Law Blog / LexisNexis]

    * “10 Supreme Court Novels to Get Your Mind Off the Nomination Battle.” Great, now we’ve got to wait until Senator Grassley gets through all of these before he sets up a hearing. [ABA Journal]

    * Speaking of Judge Garland, Fix the Court sees this nomination as an opportunity to generate some momentum around the concept of Supreme Court term limits. [Fix the Court]

    * Apparently the key to getting good grades from narcissistic professors is to be a narcissist yourself. That seems odd because you’d expect narcissists to chafe at someone striving to steal the spotlight but “game recognize game,” I guess. [TaxProf Blog]

    * Remember when we said that the Florida bar exam results were bad? They were really bad. [Bar Exam Stats]

    * A Rutgers Law professor is in hot water over allegedly mishandled funds. [Legal Profession Blog]

    * BarBri Law Preview has a $10k scholarship for a lucky 1L this coming year. If you want it to be you (or someone you know), then act fast because the deadline is Friday. [BarBri Law Preview]

  • Morning Docket: 04.13.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 04.13.16

    * You may think that your law school graduation speaker is cool, but you should think again, because your law school graduation speaker probably isn’t Vice President Joe Biden. This spring, the Veep will be delivering the commencement address at Syracuse Law, his alma mater. [Syracuse.com]

    * Bill Mateja, one of Polsinell’s finest white-collar criminal defense attorneys, will be representing Texas AG Ken Paxton in his latest foray into the wrong side of the justice system. How do we know Bill Mateja is good at getting his clients off? “Unlike many attorneys, Bill Mateja does not expect repeat business.” [Big Law Business]

    * The Supreme Court may be behind the times when it comes to technology (cellphones are typically banned inside the courtroom’s walls), but the justices will allow a group of about a dozen deaf and hard-of-hearing lawyers to use them to see a live transcript during their swearing-in ceremony next week. Congratulations to all! [ABC News]

    * FBI Director James Comey acknowledges similarities between arguments made in the gun-control debate and Apple’s quest to maintain privacy through encryption, but says “[w]e can’t resolve these really important issues that affect our values — technology, innovation, safety and all kinds of other things — in litigation.” [WSJ Law Blog]

    * “There’s a plaintiff who’s sure, his tunes could’ve made gold, and he’s buying a lawsuit in C.D. Cal.” Ever seen a cause of action for the falsification of rock n’ roll history? It’s taken about 40 years to happen, but now Led Zeppelin is going to trial over a copyright claim to its hit song “Stairway to Heaven.” [THR, Esq. / The Hollywood Reporter]


    Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

  • Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 06.01.15

    * The "Stepford Hipsters" of Abercrombie & Fitch have to make reasonable accommodations for employees wearing hijabs. [ATL Redline] * The EPA is seeking comment to a proposal to limit the pesticide exposure of bees, yeah... I am sure a few labels will stop the coming global agricultural disaster that colony collapse portends. [JD Supra] * David Boies is leading a legal all-star team fighting the construction of a new Warriors Arena, guess BSF will be rooting for the Cavs. [San Francisco Business Times] * We love a dash of dry humor buried in an answer -- classic rockers Led Zeppelin admit to being one of the "greatest bands in history," deny other allegations. [Lowering the Bar] * On the rarity of Mark Fuller resigning from the federal judiciary -- it is about a once-in-every-ten-years kind of an event. [Legal Schnauzer] * Creating laws to keep up with advancements in artificial intelligence is bound to be... complicated. [Legal Theory Blog] * Judge Alex Kozinski gets testy in a dissent, calling the result (denying insurance coverage for sunken oil barrels before they started actually leaking) "absurd." [Trial Insider]
  • 1st Circuit, Antonin Scalia, Copyright, Elena Kagan, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Privacy, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology

    Non-Sequiturs: 05.19.14

    * Justice Kagan received a Supreme Court fact check when she confused the site of the nation’s oldest standing synagogue with the home of the nation’s first Jewish community. At least she didn’t make a mistake about the actual law that she actually wrote. [WSJ Law Blog] * Justice Scalia may not understand how cell phones work, but even he gets net neutrality — because it’s a lot like pizza. [The Atlantic] * Marc Randazza describes the need for a right to be forgotten online. Getting forgotten online? Hey, we found a new job for Jill Abramson. [CNN] * A woman threatened to shoot up a South Carolina Burger King over a stale roll. Don’t tell her what “pink slime” is. [New York Daily News] * Cops arrest upwards of 40 people while trying to catch a bank robber. When you read the whole history, it’s actually surprising they weren’t limiting their search to people in stripes carrying bags with dollar signs on them. [Slate] * Corporate lawyer fits right into the rising phenomenon of “Bulls**t Jobs.” [Strike! Magazine] * Earlier today we wrote about a possible crowdfunded lawsuit. Here’s a discussion of legal issues involved in crowdfunding generally. [IT-Lex] * Sen. Rand Paul has a stupid idea, so he’ll probably convince a bunch of liberals to go along with it. And that would be bad news for Professor David Barron’s nomination to the First Circuit. [New Republic] * Led Zeppelin is getting sued over allegedly stealing the opening riff from Stairway to Heaven. It turns out there’s some band out there who’s sure that all that glitters is gold and they want some of it. A clip of the alleged original below…. [The Guardian]