Geffen Records, part of the Universal Music Group, is suing Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson of rock band Hole [ tickets ] for breach of contract. Hole is attempting to leave the label, citing a California labor statute that limits personal services contracts to seven years, while the label claims that the group owes it five more albums.

Geffen filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday (1/19). Geffen is also suing Doll Head Inc., which handles Hole's business affairs. Hole has released two albums for Geffen, ''Live Through This'' (1994) and ''Celebrity Skin'' (1998).

Doll Head, in representing Hole, claims that the group can be released from its contract on Jan. 23, since the contract began in 1992. Geffen is challenging the position that recording contracts are personal services contracts, in addition to stating that Hole did not deliver on options for five other albums during the seven-year period.

Geffen further contends that the 1992 contract was amended by a letter that Love and Erlandson signed in 1997. Variety reported that the letter states that if Doll Head did not fulfil its agreements with Geffen, the two musicians would be obligated to Geffen to fulfil the contract.

Geffen is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions against Hole to prevent Love and Erlandson from using the group's name and recording for another label. Geffen also wants to obtain unspecified revenues for the five disputed albums. The case is not the first time a high-profile musical act has invoked the seven-year statute to end or renegotiate a recording contract. Metallica, Toni Braxton, Don Henley and Beck have all invoked the law, which has not yet been tested in a court trial. In the case of Beck's dispute with Geffen, the two parties settled their differences out of court.

According to some analysts, labels are frightened that if a case like this ever goes to trial, the law could be upheld, setting a precedent for the ultimate length of time an artist could be under contract to a label.