Kroeger and his production company, Arm Your Dillo Publishing, are claiming damages against Vikedal for royalties received since since January 2005, when Vikedal stopped being the band\'s drummer.

WIth the lawsuit Kroeger wants Vikedal to return his interests in future performance royalties and repaying any royalties received since January.

In a statement of claim, Nickelback lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Kroeger says he was the sole author and \"maker\" of the songs. The 31-year-old is demanding a declaration that he and his company own the copyright for the Nickelback\'s three albums.

According to the court document Vikedal received small percentages on the public-performance royalties for many of the songs: the drummer got 6.5 % of the royalties on How You Remind Me, which became the most-played song of the year in the US in 2001.

Drummer Ryan Vikedal has been bitter since he was dismissed from Nickelback, saying he doesn\'t know why he was let go and has said he feels betrayed by the band members. Vikedal was told by his band mates told him he wasn\'t \"quite the drummer that they were looking for.\"

In early March, the band recruited Vancouver native Daniel Adair, formerly of US rock band 3 Doors Down, as Vikedal\'s replacement.