Rock band go to court over TV ban

The TV network said singer Vince Neil "violated NBC's standards"

US rock group Motley Crue are taking TV network NBC to court for banning them from their programmes after singer Vince Neil swore live on air.

Neil made the offending remark on the New Year's Eve edition of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

The band say they have been victimised and NBC made the ban to ingratiate itself with regulators, who have been cracking down on indecency.

NBC has dismissed the legal action, filed in Los Angeles, as "meritless".

The group claim the ban has deprived them of exposure and they have been "singled out".

NBC did not ban U2 when Bono used the same swearword on their coverage of the Golden Globe Awards in 2003, they argue.

'Censorship'

"The conclusion is inescapable - that NBC is scapegoating Motley Crue to protect itself and head off punitive action from the Federal Communications Commission," their lawsuit said.

"Censorship... is an evil outlawed by the United States Constitution for over 200 years. It is an affront to our society."

NBC responded by saying Neil had "violated NBC's standards".

The company said it "has the right to decide not to invite back guests who violate those standards and use an expletive during a live entertainment programme".

Motley Crue, best known for their hedonistic lifestyle and 1980s hits including Girls, Girls, Girls, got back together in December for a reunion tour after five years apart.