One Direction sued by American namesake
Boy band of the moment One Direction are being sued by a second One Direction over an alleged trademark infringement, according to reports.
The UK crooners are facing a claim for £630k in damages from their American namesakes in addition to three times their profits after their counterparts from across the pond claimed to have suffered from substantial “confusion and damage” attributable to the duplicated name.
One Direction US allege that Simon Cowell’s label, Syco and Sony Music, “chose to ignore” the conflict after the American outfit trademarked the name ‘One Direction’ in Feb 2011 and have continued to “wilfully infringe” that trademark ever since.
One Direction UK were formed after a stint on the X Factor in 2010 and have become the first British band to top the charts in the States with their debut album.
A spokesman for the UK group's record label, Syco, said: "There is a dispute with a local group in California about the ownership of the One Direction name in the US. One Direction's management tried to resolve the situation amicably when the matter first came to light, but the Californian group has now filed a lawsuit claiming they own the name.
One Direction's lawyers now have no choice but to defend the lawsuit and the band's right to use their name."