Well, this story isn't punk rock so much, but it may serve as an important case with regard to music copyright, which, of course, affects punk music. Today, Led Zeppelin won as defendants against the band Spirit, who claimed that Led Zep ripped off a Spirit's "Taurus" for "Stairway to heaven." The jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the Hammer of the Gods in a LA Federal court. The jury found that while Zep's Plant and Page may have had access to Sprint's tune, the elements of each song were not so similar as to necessitate a finding of infringement upon protected elements.

Plaintiff's attorney Francis Malofiy stated “They won on a technicality. We proved access. We proved they had access to the music, but [the jury] never heard the music. So the jury’s sitting there with basically blinders on without ever having the opportunity of hearing the evidence at issue. We’re fighting with a foot stapled to the ground, and an arm tied behind our back, and it wasn’t a fair fight.” When asked if they would appeal, Malofiy said, “There’s obviously issues that can be appealed.” Hear both songs below.