BBC in U.S. court battle

ENGLAND, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A state court in Maine is to rule in a battle between ex-Fleetwood Mac star Mick Fleetwood and BBC Worldwide over rights to BBC recordings

Mick Fleetwood's company, Bee Load, alleges it had agreed with BBC Worldwide to let Bee Load release 100 artists' sessions from the BBC archive, the BBC reports.

Some of the biggest names in music have recorded for the BBC, with many sessions, including some 14 hours of Beatles recordings, still unreleased. Bee Load filed a lawsuit contending BBC Worldwide broke off the agreement.

BBC Worldwide asked a Maine Superior Court judge to dismiss the case so it could be heard in London's High Court. However, the request was denied because, although Bee Load is officially a British company, its main place of business is Portland, Maine.

A period of discovery, for the exchange of information and documents between the two sides will likely last until August.