Led Zeppelin did not steal the opening to Stairway to Heaven, a court has ruled after a long-running rift over the song's riff.
The legendary rock group had been accused of infringing upon the copyright of Taurus, a song written by Randy Wolfe, the guitarist of a band named Spirit.
However, a nine to two decision at US Circuit Court of Appeals found that the 1971 Led Zeppelin hit did not infringe upon the song's copyright.
"The trial and appeal process has been a long climb up the Stairway to Heaven," Circuit Judge Margaret McKeown wrote for the majority, following the five-year-old case's conclusion.
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page could have faced paying damages amounting to millions of dollars if they had lost.
Mr Wolfe, who performed under the moniker Randy California, died in 1997 but his estate decided to pursue the claim.
Lawyers working for the claimants indicated they may appeal to the US Supreme Court.
It had been argued that the Led Zeppelin songwriters had coined Stairway to Heaven after hearing Taurus when the band toured with Spirit.
Spirit's track had been released in 1968, prior to Stairway to Heaven being released.
The point of issue was the composition of an acoustic guitar section at the beginning of the iconic hit, which it was argued shared a similar chord progression to a main section in Taurus.
Led Zeppelin has not commented on the ruling.
