One Direction sued by US band of same name

One Direction is being sued by US band with the same name
One Direction is being sued by US band with the same name
 
 

Thursday, 12, Apr 2012 10:13

By Mark Fordham

UK boy band One Direction are being sued over trademark infringement by a Californian band with the same name.

Lawyers for the American group want to prevent the UK starlets from using the name, as well as compensation and a share of their profits.

Legal papers were filed at California Central District Court and they claim that Syco and Sony Music were aware of the duplication of names but ignored the US band's rights.

The Californian band are asking for more than $1 million (£630,000) in damages and also claim they are entitled to three-times the profits made by the UK group in their short career.

Legal papers claim that the band are suffering "substantial confusion and substantial damage" because of their UK counterparts, who recently made US chart history when their album went straight to number one.

"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," a Syco spokesman commented.