Bosses of Britain's legendary Cavern Club, where The Beatles were discovered, are heading for a court showdown over the venue's name.

Owners of the underground concert hall in Liverpool, England are at war with chiefs of the Hard Rock Cafe chain over its branch in Boston, Massachusetts, which uses the name 'Cavern Club' for its games room.

The trademark row has been ongoing for 20 years, and now the owners of the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where The Beatles were first spotted by Brian Epstein in the early 1960s, are asking a judge in Florida to throw out the Hard Rock bosses' claim to the name.

Cavern Club director Dave Jones says, "It is absurd for a billiards room in Boston to be passed off as having anything whatsoever to do with the history and heritage of music's most famous club in the world."

Owners of the Hard Rock Corporation have registered the U.S. rights to use the 'Cavern Club' name at any of its branches, but bosses of the Liverpool venue have filed a lawsuit in Orlando, Florida, where the company is based, asking for the trademark to be lifted.