Apple is close to signing an exclusive deal with The Beatles to put its music on iTunes, despite the troubled legal history between the two.

If signed, this would be a major coup for Apple, as The Beatles have to date refused to let any online music store offer legal downloads of their songs.

It could also see the end of legal wrangles stemming from the fact that the Beatles set up a company called Apple Corps, which pre-dates the computer company.

The Beatles’ music is among the most popular in the world for illegal downloads, so if a deal is struck, would generate huge revenues for Apple. It would also boost iPod sales as well as the number of downloads through iTunes.

According to Fortune, David Munns, head of EMI North America, has said the back catalogue would be available for legal downloads soon, and it is believed Apple exec Steve Jobs is close to getting a time-limited exclusive deal, preventing other music sites from initially being able to offer The Beatles songs online. Any deal struck with iTunes would be worth tens of millions of dollars, it said.

Earlier this year the band went to court again through Apple Corps over Apple Computer’s use of an apple in its logo, claiming copyright infringement. In the past, legal rulings have allowed Apple Computer to use the logo provided it was not in the music business. But Apple Corps claimed that iTunes means the agreement had been broken.

The judge ruled in favour of Apple Computer, but an appeal is due to be heard in February. If a deal is signed between the two, that appeal is likely to be dropped.

Apple has sold over 200 million songs through iTunes and 68 million iPods in their various forms worldwide.

An Apple spokesperson said The Beatles deal was speculation. “We have no idea if this is happening or not. There’s nothing concrete. We don’t know anything about [a deal] at this point in time.”

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