Duran Duran sue their own American fan club over payments to band

Duran Duran are suing their own American fan club after an alleged breach of contract.

The 80s pop group, best known for hits such as Rio, have launched legal action against their fan club, which is based in Glenview, a town 20 miles north of Chicago.

According to the lawsuit, the Chicago-based company Worldwide Fan Clubs has not met the payments it was contractually obliged to make, after a deal was struck in 2010 that the company would create and manage a fan club for the band.

The deal stipulated that the fan club was also in charge of selling band merchandise, maintaining accurate fan club records and collecting membership fees, giving Duran Duran 75% of all profits, the suit said. Worldwide Fan Clubs would keep the other 25%.

However, according to their legal action filed in Cook county circuit court, the British band, made up of John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor and Simon Le Bon, are now seeking about £23,500 in damages, claiming Worldwide Fan Clubs failed to keep accurate accounting records and pay the band what they were due.

The lawsuit also stated that the band had made repeated requests for their unpaid share of the profits to be settled.

Duran Duran originally found fame in 1981 with their first single Planet Earth, and went on to produce a string of hits, including Girls on Film. Their most recent album, All You Need is Now, was released in 2010, though the band recently confirmed they were working on new material with Red Hot Chili Pepper's guitarist John Frusciante and their 14th studio album would be produced by Mark Ronson.

Duran Duran and Worldwide Fan Clubs have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Gerard Franklin, the publicist for Duran Duran, said: "Duran Duran values its many loyal fans around the world and feels compelled to correct the media's mischaracterisation of its lawsuit against Worldwide Fan Clubs Inc. The band emphatically states that the lawsuit is not against its loyal fans but simply seeks to protect its rights against the company that formerly managed its fan club."