Jake Holmes has initiated legal proceedings against Jimmy Page once again, seeking rightful songwriting credit for the iconic Led Zeppelin track “Dazed and Confused.” This time, he has also named Sony Pictures as a co-defendant after discovering that the song was incorrectly attributed in the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin. This misattribution has prompted Holmes to take action, aiming to rectify the historical oversight regarding the song’s origins.

The legal complaint has been lodged in California federal court, where Holmes asserts claims of copyright infringement and breach of contract. He alleges that two early live performances of “Dazed and Confused” were incorporated into the film without obtaining the necessary permissions or compensating him for their use, raising serious legal and ethical questions surrounding intellectual property rights.

According to the lawsuit, Page and his co-defendants allegedly “willfully infringed the Holmes composition by falsely claiming that the Holmes composition is the Page composition.” The suit contends that they misrepresented the licensing of the song in the film, treating it as if it were solely a Page composition while profiting from the license fees generated from its use, which raises significant concerns about fairness in the music industry.

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Holmes has expressed frustration that a previous cease-and-desist order was disregarded. In 2011, he filed an initial copyright infringement lawsuit after Page had taken sole credit for the song over decades, dating back to when it was performed with both the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. Jim McCarty, Page’s bandmate from the Yardbirds, recalled that they first encountered Holmes’ original version when he opened for the band during a performance.

“‘Dazed and Confused’ is a song with a remarkable rock ‘n’ roll story,” McCarty stated in a 2013 interview. “We played alongside Jake Holmes in New York when we had our last lineup — featuring Jimmy, Keith, Chris, and myself — and were actively searching for fresh material, particularly since the group’s creative synergy had diminished following the departures of Paul [Samwell-Smith] and Jeff.”

“I wandered backstage to catch the support act and was treated to some delightful folk-inspired songs,” McCarty further elaborated. “Then they presented this haunting piece in a minor key, complete with an enchanting guitar progression, and I instantly thought it would be a perfect fit for us. Subsequently, I made my way to a record store in Greenwich Village, purchased Jake’s album, and we subsequently arranged our interpretation — which would later be immortalized by Zeppelin, becoming one of the most celebrated classics in rock history.”

Holmes’ legal complaint also highlighted that Page has released multiple other live renditions of “Dazed and Confused” without appropriate credit or remuneration, including on albums such as Yardbirds ’68, Live at the BBC Revisited, and The Yardbirds: The Ultimate Live at the BBC, among others. He is seeking damages amounting to at least $150,000 for each instance of copyright infringement, underscoring the serious implications of his claims and the broader issue of artist rights in the music industry.