Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin

• Decision Date: 28 September 2018
• Docket Number: No. 16-56057, No. 16-56287,16-56057
• Citation: 905 F.3d 1116
• Parties: Michael SKIDMORE, as Trustee FOR the RANDY CRAIG WOLFE TRUST, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. LED ZEPPELIN; James Patrick Page; Robert Anthony Plant; John Paul Jones; Super Hype Publishing, Inc. ; Warner Music Group Corporation ; Warner Chappell Music, Inc.; Atlantic Recording Corporation; Rhino Entertainment Company, Defendants-Appellees. Michael Skidmore, as Trustee for the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Defendant-Appellant, and Led Zeppelin; James Patrick Page; Robert Anthony Plant; John Paul Jones; Super Hype Publishing, Inc. ; Warner Music Group Corporation, Atlantic Recording Corporation; Rhino Entertainment Company, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit

905 F.3d 1116

Michael SKIDMORE, as Trustee FOR the RANDY CRAIG WOLFE TRUST, Plaintiff-Appellant,

v.LED ZEPPELIN; James Patrick Page; Robert Anthony Plant; John Paul Jones; Super Hype Publishing, Inc. ; Warner Music Group Corporation ; Warner Chappell Music, Inc.; Atlantic Recording Corporation; Rhino Entertainment Company, Defendants-Appellees.

Michael Skidmore, as Trustee for the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Defendant-Appellant,andLed Zeppelin; James Patrick Page; Robert Anthony Plant; John Paul Jones; Super Hype Publishing, Inc. ; Warner Music Group Corporation, Atlantic Recording Corporation; Rhino Entertainment Company, Defendants.

No. 16-56057

No. 16-56287

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Argued and Submitted March 12, 2018 San Francisco, California

Filed September 28, 2018

Francis Malofiy (argued) and Alfred Joseph Fluehr, Francis Alexander LLC, Media, Pennsylvania, for Plaintiff-Appellant.

Peter J. Anderson (argued), Law Offices of Peter J. Anderson, Santa Monica, California; Helens M. Freeman, Phillips Nizer LLP, New York, New York; for Defendants-Appellees.

Before: Richard A. Paez and Sandra S. Ikuta, Circuit Judges, and Eric N. Vitaliano,^* District Judge.

PAEZ, Circuit Judge:

This copyright case involves a claim that Led Zeppelin copied key portions of its timeless hit "Stairway to Heaven" from the song "Taurus," which was written by Spirit band member Randy Wolfe. Years after Wolfe's death, the trustee of the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, Michael Skidmore, brought this suit for copyright infringement against Led Zeppelin, James Patrick Page, Robert Anthony Plant, John Paul Jones, Super Hype Publishing, and the Warner Music Group Corporation as parent of Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Atlantic Recording Corporation, and Rhino Entertainment Co. (collectively, "Defendants"). The case proceeded to a jury trial, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of Defendants. Skidmore appeals, raising a host of alleged trial errors and challenging the district court's determination that for unpublished works under the Copyright Act of 1909 ("1909 Act"), the scope of the copyright is defined by the deposit copy. We hold that several of the district court's jury instructions were erroneous and prejudicial. We therefore vacate the amended judgment in part and remand for a new trial. For the benefit of the parties and the district court on remand, we also address whether the scope of copyright protection for an unpublished work under the 1909 Act is defined by the deposit copy. We hold that it is. We also address several other evidentiary issues raised by Skidmore that are likely to arise again on remand. Finally, in light of our disposition, we vacate the denial of Defendants' motions for attorneys' fees and costs and remand those issues as well.

I.

A.

Randy Wolfe, nicknamed Randy California by Jimi Hendrix, was a musician and a member of the band Spirit. He wrote the song "Taurus" in late 1966. Spirit signed a recording contract in August 1967, and its first album Spirit —which included "Taurus"—was released in late 1967 or early 1968. Hollenbeck Music ("Hollenbeck") filed the copyright for Taurus in December 1967 and listed Randy Wolfe as the author. As part of the copyright registration packet, "Taurus" was transcribed into sheet music that was deposited with the Copyright Office ("Taurus deposit copy").

The band Led Zeppelin, formed in 1968, consisted of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. Spirit and Led Zeppelin's paths crossed several times in the late 1960s and early 1970s. On tour, Led Zeppelin would occasionally perform a cover of another Spirit song, "Fresh Garbage." Spirit and Led Zeppelin both performed at a concert in Denver in 1968 and at the Atlanta International Pop Festival, the Seattle Pop Festival, and the Texas Pop Festival in 1969. There is no direct evidence that Led Zeppelin band members listened to Spirit's performances on any of these dates, although members of Spirit testified that they conversed with Led Zeppelin members, and one Spirit band member testified that Spirit had played "Taurus" the night both bands performed in Denver. Additionally, there was evidence at trial that Robert Plant attended a February 1970 Spirit performance. Jimmy Page testified that he currently owns a copy of the album Spirit , but he was unable to clarify when he had obtained that copy. In late 1971, Led Zeppelin released its fourth album, an untitled album known as "Led Zeppelin IV." One of the tracks on the album is the timeless classic "Stairway to Heaven," which was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Randy Wolfe passed away in 1997, and his mother established the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust (the "Trust"). All of Wolfe's intellectual property rights were transferred to the Trust, including his ownership interest in "Taurus."¹ His mother was the trustee or co-trustee until her death in 2009, after which time Skidmore became the trustee. Immediately after the Supreme Court's decision in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. , 572 U.S. 663, 134 S.Ct. 1962, 1967–68, 188 L.Ed.2d 979 (2014), which clarified that laches is not a defense where copyright infringement is ongoing, Skidmore filed this suit on behalf of the Trust alleging that "Stairway to Heaven" infringed the copyright in "Taurus."

B.

Skidmore initially filed his complaint in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, but the case was subsequently transferred to the Central District of California. Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin , 106 F.Supp.3d 581, 589–90 (E.D. Pa. 2015). Skidmore alleged direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement. He also alleged a claim titled "Right of Attribution—Equitable Relief—Falsification of Rock n' Roll History." With regard to copyright infringement, Skidmore alleged that the opening notes of "Stairway to Heaven" are substantially similar to those in "Taurus." The Defendants disputed ownership, substantial similarity, and access. They also alleged a number of affirmative defenses including unclean hands, laches, and independent creation.

After discovery, Defendants moved for summary judgment, which the district court granted in part and denied in part. Specifically, the district court granted summary judgment to John Paul Jones, Super Hype Publishing, and Warner Music Group ("summary judgment defendants"), as they had not performed or distributed "Stairway to Heaven" in the three-year statute of limitations period preceding the filing of the complaint. Additionally, the district court granted summary judgment to Defendants on Skidmore's "Right of Attribution—Equitable Relief—Falsification of Rock n' Roll History" claim, as the district court "had diligently searched but [was] unable to locate any cognizable claim to support this [Falsification of Rock n' Roll History] theory of liability."

Because the 1909 Act governed the scope of the copyright Wolfe obtained in "Taurus," the district court further concluded that the protectable copyright was the musical composition transcribed in the deposit copy of "Taurus" and not the sound recordings. The district court therefore concluded that to prove substantial similarity between "Taurus" and "Stairway to Heaven," Skidmore would have to rely on the "Taurus" deposit copy rather than a sound recording. The district court also found that there were triable issues of fact relating to ownership, access, substantial similarity, and damages that could only be resolved at trial.

At a pretrial conference in April 2016, after reviewing summaries of each witnesses' proposed testimony, the district court decided to allot each side ten hours to present its case. The district court also tentatively granted Defendants' motion in limine to exclude recordings of Spirit performing "Taurus" as well as expert testimony based on those recordings, again concluding that the 1967 deposit copy should be the baseline when considering substantial similarity. Before trial, the district court filed an order confirming its prior tentative rulings on the motions in limine.

As part of expert discovery, Skidmore's attorney deposed Dr. Lawrence Ferrara, Defendants' expert musicologist. During the deposition it came to light that in 2013 Dr. Ferrara had done a comparison of the "Taurus" and "Stairway to Heaven" recordings for Rondor Music ("Rondor"), a subsidiary of Universal Music Publishing Group.² Dr. Ferrara testified that when he was approached by Defendants' counsel, he informed them that he had already completed an analysis for Rondor. Defendants' counsel consulted with Rondor, which waived any conflict and consented to Dr. Ferrara being retained as an expert witness for Defendants. Throughout the deposition, Skidmore's counsel objected and requested copies of Dr. Ferrara's communications with Rondor and Universal. After the deposition, Skidmore filed a Motion for Sanctions and to Preclude Dr. Ferrara from testifying at trial. The district court denied Skidmore's motion because it was improperly noticed, over the page limit, and untimely.

A five-day jury trial ensued. While questioning Jimmy Page, Skidmore's counsel requested that several sound recordings of Spirit performing "Taurus" be played so that he could ask Page whether he had ever heard any of the recordings. When Defendants objected, Skidmore's counsel explained that the recordings were offered to prove access, rather than substantial similarity. The district court determined that although the sound recordings were relevant to prove access, it would be too prejudicial for the jury to hear the recordings. To avoid any prejudice, the district court had Page listen to the recordings outside the presence of the jury and then allowed Skidmore's counsel to question him about them in the presence of the jury. Page eventually testified that he presently had an album containing "Taurus" in his collection, but while testifying he did not admit to having heard any recordings of "Taurus" prior to...