Legendary LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page is once again facing legal heat over the origins of one of the band’s most iconic songs. American songwriter Jake Holmes has filed a new lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging copyright infringement and breach of contract tied to the use of “Dazed and Confused” in the 2025 documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin.
Holmes, now 85, originally wrote and recorded “Dazed and Confused” in 1967. The song caught the attention of Jimmy Page after Holmes performed it live. Page, then a member of THE YARDBIRDS, began playing a reworked version with the group during their live shows. A year later, Page brought the track to his newly formed band, LED ZEPPELIN, and recorded a dramatically altered version—featuring new lyrics and a new vocal melody—for their 1969 debut album. The song was credited solely to Page.
In 2010, Holmes sued Page over the song’s authorship. That case was settled out of court in 2011, with the credit revised to read: “Jimmy Page, inspired by Jake Holmes.”
Now, Holmes is revisiting the issue in light of the documentary’s release. He claims that two live performances of “Dazed and Confused”—one by THE YARDBIRDS and another by LED ZEPPELIN—appear in Becoming Led Zeppelin without his permission. According to the lawsuit, the filmmakers and associated parties “wilfully infringed the Holmes composition by falsely claiming that the Holmes composition is the Page composition,” adding that they “purported to license use in the film of the Holmes composition as if it was the Page composition.”
Among the named defendants are Jimmy Page, Sony Pictures Classics, Page’s publishing company Succubus Music, his e-commerce platform JimmyPage.com, Warner Chappell Music, Paradise Pictures (owned by director Bernard MacMahon and producer Allison McGourty), the film’s sales company Altitude Films, and production company Big Beach.
Holmes argues that he issued cease-and-desist letters to the parties involved, but his communications were ignored. He is now seeking a jury trial or statutory damages of up to $150,000 per alleged act of infringement.
Source: metaladdicts.com
