The Daily Mail reports Blackmore is claiming that a 2003 lawsuit brought by the lineup of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice against two management companies - HEC Enterprises and Deep Purple (Overseas) - should have included him and that he should be compensated as part of the settlement reached between the parties.

Blackmore claims he is entitled to receive one fifth of up to 85 per cent of the income from 14 of the band's classic albums after he hired an audit by a specialist accountant covering the years between 2007 and 2013, which showed 'very substantial' under-accounting by both management companies.