Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, two of Led Zeppelin’s founder members, arrived in court in Los Angeles on Tuesday to defend themselves against accusations that Stairway to Heaven, the band’s most famous song, was plagiarised.

The pair appeared at the opening of a trial in a federal court case prompted by allegations that the song was a copy of Taurus, composed by the late Randy Wolfe and recorded by his band Spirit.

A trustee for Wolfe - who died in 1997 and was also known as Randy California - claims the musician deserves a partial song-writing credit on Stairway To Heaven, the opening cords of which is alleged to be based on his composition.

Michael Skidmore, the trustee, is also claiming unspecified damages.

"No one owns common musical elements," defence lawyer Peter Anderson said in opening arguments for the copyright infringement trial in Los Angeles federal court.

Page, 72, and 67-year-old Plant - who cancelled a scheduled 19 June concert at London’s South Bank Centre to appear at the trial - cut very different figures from their fabled rock star images as they arrived in courtroom 850 of the Edward R Royal building in downtown Los Angeles.

Both men looked sombre in dark three-piece suits and had their trade-mark long hair tied back in pony tails.