Dazed and Confused: Jake Holmes sues Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page, one of the most respected guitarists of Rock n Roll from the band Led Zeppelin is being sued for copyright infringement.

 

“Dazed and Confused” which was released on Led Zeppelin’s debut album “Led Zeppelin” in 1969 is one of the most diverse and unique songs ever recorded. The songwriting credit on the album goes to Jimmy Page.

 

Now after 40 years Jake Holmes is stepping forward and claiming he owns the copyright to Dazed and Confused. This comes at a shock to many Zeppelin fans, but also as a shock to everyone in the music industry.

 

Listen to the following video of Jake Holmes recorded version of Dazed and Confused, which is from 1967. It is strikingly similar to Zeppelin’s version.

So now there is many questions, as why did Jimmy Page change the song to avoid copyright infringement, and claim himself as the sole songwriter.

 

Who is Jake Holmes?

Jake Holmes is a folk singer who opened up for the Yardbirds on an American tour in 1967. The Yardbirds loved the song, and they decided to do a version of their own on live shows. Their version featured the bowed guitar and extended instrumentals through the song.

 

So now we know who Jimmy Page is associated with Dazed and Confused.

 

After the Yardbirds had broken up, they had considered releasing their live version of Jake Holmes Dazed and Confused, but never did so.

 

When Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin, he presented them Dazed and Confused, which had changed the melody, and structure of the song, and copyrighted the song, knowingly it was plagiarism. Page presented the song as an original composition to the group.

 

Jake claims he had contacted Jimmy many times to discuss and resolve the copyright infringement that apparently exists, and Jimmy Page never responded to any of his requests.

 

Finally Jake has now sued Jimmy Page for copyright infringement on his song.

 

According to copyright laws, Jake would only be entitled to revenue from the last three years, this would worth millions just from compilations released in the last few years.

 

So the burning question remains, why did Jake Holmes wait 40 years to dispute the copyright? and why did Jimmy Page claim the song as an original composition all these years?

 

By George Luker © Copyright 2010 Krule Music Group