Two of the surviving members of 1960s supergroup "The Doors" have lost a legal battle in California to be allowed to tour under the group's name, court records showed Friday.

The California Supreme Court denied a petition by lawyers for keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger to review a 2005 decision by a lower court that barred them from using the word "Doors" in the title of any group.

Manzarek and Krieger had been locked in a legal wrangle with the family of late Doors lead singer Jim Morrison, the family of his ex-wife and the other surviving band member, drummer John Densmore.

The dispute arose after Manzarek and Krieger toured under the name "Doors of the 21st Century" and used pictures of Morrison to promote the group.

According to US media reports, Manzarek and Krieger have been ordered to pay damages and costs estimated at five million dollars for using images of the band during tours that grossed more than eight million.

Densmore had been opposed to Manzarek and Krieger presenting the groups tour as a "Doors" reunion because Morrison, who died in Paris in 1971, would not be a part of it.

The drummer expressed relief following the court victory this week. "A five-year cloud has passed over my head," Densmore said.

The decision means Krieger and Manzarek must continue to perform under the name "Riders on the The Storm."