Noel and Liam Gallagher have filed legal action against their former sound engineer Huw Richards to prevent the auction of hundreds of hours of intimate recordings of the band. The recordings, estimated to fetch between £1.2m and £1.6m at Worcestershire-based Littleton Auctions on Saturday, represent a significant dispute over intellectual property rights and ownership of material from Oasis's peak years.

The collection comprises 209 DAT tapes, 73 analogue cassettes and three MiniDiscs containing soundchecks, rehearsals and private conversations between the brothers from 1994 to 2001, including what is claimed to be the only recording of their 1996 Loch Lomond concert. Richards argues he legally owns the recordings as their creator and current possessor, whilst the Gallaghers and their representatives claim they retain copyright and intellectual property rights. Richards had reportedly offered the material to the brothers before pursuing the auction, but negotiations collapsed.