A MUSICAL masterpiece composed in Meirionnydd is at the centre of a massive legal row after a dispute over its originality.

Led Zeppelin compiled the iconic Stairway to Heaven in the early 1970s while they were staying at a remote cottage between Machynlleth and Pennal.

However, there are now questions over the originality of the songs after criticism made by American guitarist Randy Wolfe suggested that Led Zeppelin ripped him off.

A jury will now decide if the opening notes of a classic rock song, written in Bron Yr Aur cottage, was copied from another song.

A judge in California has ruled lawyers for the trustee of late Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe had shown enough evidence to support a case that Stairway To Heaven copies music from his song Taurus.

The judge wrote while the songs have some differences, lawyers for Wolfe’s trustee may be able to prove they are substantially similar.

A trial is scheduled to be held in Los Angeles next month.

See the full story in this week’s Cambrian News