PORTLAND – A dispute between two British companies over the release rights to recordings from rock bands including the Beatles and Led Zeppelin could be decided in a Maine court.

Portland-based Bee Load Ltd. claims that the British Broadcasting Corp.’s marketing arm, BBC Worldwide, reneged on a 7-year-old music licensing and distribution agreement. Bee Load’s suit in Cumberland County Superior Court seeks millions of dollars in damages.

Justice Thomas Humphrey’s ruling means the lawsuit – involving rare tapes of legendary performers like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Who – will be heard by a jury this year.

Bee Load is partly owned by the rock drummer Mick Fleetwood, an original member of Fleetwood Mac, and his accountant, Joseph McNulty of Cape Elizabeth. The company was established to produce and sell hundreds of hours of live performances through a contract with BBC Worldwide.