Beatles songs to be released online

The entire Beatles catalogue is being digitally remastered and will finallybe released through online music services.

Apple Corps confirmed the newsThursday after managing director NeilAspinall disclosed the information during testimonyin the company's trademark dispute with Apple Computer Inc.

"There's no firm date on any of this at the moment. There are a lot of projects that Apple are working on at the moment," a company spokesperson told Reuters.

The Beatles work has not been made available online until now, because of the Apple Corps dispute with Apple Computer over the trademark name.

Apple Corps, owned by Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and the estate of George Harrison, has accused Apple Computer of violating a 1991 agreement by using the Apple name and logo to sell music downloads.

The trial ended on April 6 and a decision from the judge is due after Easter.

In his testimony, Aspinall said the Beatles music was being digitally remastered for a launch planned after that process is finished.

Among the other projects under way at Apple Corps is a reworking of unreleased Beatles tracks for a show by Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal circus troupe.

Cirque du Soleil has asked for the work as a soundtrack to a new show to premiere at the Mirage in Las Vegas this summer, according to Variety.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are said to be overseeing the project and plan to release an album based on music from the show. They are working with unreleased demos and anthology worksrecorded at Apple.