Apple, EMI team up for lawsuit over trashed Beatles pics

Apple Corps and record label EMI have joined forces for a lawsuit against a U.K. cleaning company accused ofhaving disposed of archival photographic material of the Beatles.

Apple, which guards the musical legacy and commerical interests of the Fab Four, and EMI, which distributes the iconic band's music, have filed a lawsuit in Britain's High Court against cleaning company Crystal Services.

The lawsuit alleges that in January 2001, a Crystal employee assigned to clean EMI's west London offices tossed out three boxes containing more than 450 archival photos, negatives and transparencies of the Beatles.

According to EMI and Apple, the boxes had been marked "not rubbish" and "do not remove."

However, British reports quoting the cleaning firm's statement of defence dispute those claims.

The boxes sent to the trash compactor included original material, such as the only existing transparencies from a 1963 photo shoot whose images were eventually used for cover art on the albums Please Please Me and The Beatles 1962-1966.

The lawsuit claims that the market value of the lost materials is estimated at $1.4 million US.

All parties have declined to comment.

In the past, Apple Corps and EMI have been on the opposite ends of legal battles over royalties for the two surviving Beatles and the estates of the two deceased members.

Apple Corps, which is aggressive in protecting the rights of the influential band, made headlines on Tuesday whenit announced that longtime chief executive Neil Aspinall who has known Paul McCartney since their grammar school days has quit his post.