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Ritchie Blackmore sues Deep Purple management companies over unpaid royalties
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 13 July 2015
Former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is suing two management companies for £750,000, arguing that he should have been included in a royalties settlement reached with other members of the band over a decade ago.
Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice sued HEC Enterprises and Deep Purple (Overseas) in 2003 over underpaid royalties, eventually reaching a settlement. Blackmore, who was a member of the band between 1968 and 1975, and again between 1984 and 1993, was not involved in that case. But he now argues that he is owed royalties on fourteen of the band’s albums, adding that he has had the two companies audited to work out what that comes to.
According to The Mail On Sunday, the guitarist is suing HEC Enterprises, a company set up in 1967 by the band’s original investors, for £102,318, relating to incorrect adjustments, failing to report publishing income and applying charges in excess of agreed limits. Meanwhile, he claims that Deep Purple (Overseas) owes him £607,797 for failing to report income, overcharging on fees, and using an incorrect exchange rate. He is also seeking £43,000 to cover the costs of auditing the two companies between 2007 and 2013.
Blackmore’s lawsuit also apparently claims that a former director of both companies previously admitted that the musician could be owed over £400,000.