Surviving Carpenters member sues over digital royalties

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Grammy winner Richard Carpenter is suing over royalties he contends are owed from licensing "Carpenters" songs for online services such as Apple's iTunes.

Carpenter filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Universal Music Group seeking more than $2 million in royalties. He is suing on behalf of himself and the estate of his sister, Karen Carpenter, who died in 1983.

The suit is one of a number of lawsuits filed after a 2010 appellate court ruled in a case involving Eminem's record label that music downloads from services such as iTunes should result in higher payments to artists.

Carpenter says he has been unable to resolve the dispute without suing.

An email message to Universal Music Group was not immediately returned.