PARIS, March 11 (AFP) - A court ruled Thursday against three French pensioners appealing for ownership of Fouquet's, an iconic Paris restaurant on the Champs Elysees, in a legal battle that has gone on for half a century.

Pierre, Michel and their sister Lina Renault were told by a court in 2007 they were the legal owners of the building housing the famous restaurant and other businesses, valued at 70 million euros (95 million dollars).

A year later a judge overturned that ruling, prompting the pensioners to appeal, saying they had more documents proving their ownership. Their appeal was rejected in yet another judgement on Thursday.

The Renaults argue that the building, currently the property of the Cafe de Paris restaurant company, was left to their family following the death of the Countess Octavia de Coetlogon in 1865.

The countess, who died childless, left the property to a cousin, who in turn bequeathed it to the Renaults' grandparents.

The Cafe de Paris group has owned the building since 1930 and says the Renaults' claim is baseless.

President Nicolas Sarkozy invited a select group of friends to celebrate his election victory at Fouquet's in 2007 and the restaurant has been a popular spot for the rich and famous for decades.

The legal battle looked set to drag on further.

"We are going to continue the fight" by taking the case to the country's highest appeals court, said Lina Renault's legal representative Laurent Montangon.