One Direction Sued by US Boy Band for $1 Million
U.K. boy band One Direction is being sued for $1 Million by a U.S.-based boy band who claim that the five-member British group stole their name.
Sony Music and Simon Cowell's record label, Syco Entertainment, have been hit with a million dollar lawsuit which alleges that the popular U.K. band is creating confusion and ultimately diminishing its credibility, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The U.S.-based One Direction claims that it was formed at least two years ago, and accuses the U.K.'s One Direction of pursuing it's group name even after discovering that the name was already taken.
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The British group was allegedly made aware that the group name One Direction was already in use when they attempted to file with the U.S. Trademark Office.
"Rather than change their name...they chose to press ahead and come on their tour," the plaintiffs' attorney, Peter Ross, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The U.S.-based One Direction group members include: lead singer, Sean O'Leary, guitarist, Isaiah Chavez-Pickett, bassist, Scott Nagareda, and drummer, Adam Davis.
The group's album, The Light, was released in February 2011 and the U.S.-group continues to release music on their website despite the growing success of their U.K.-based name sake.
Members of the U.K.-based group include: Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
The British group was spontaneously formed by Cowell after each member failed to wow U.K. "X-Factor" judges as solo artists. Since then, the U.K.-based boy band has become an international sensation with fans dubbing the group the modern day Beatles.
Due to growing popularity, One Direction quickly landed a $2.5 million deal with Syco Records through Sony Music.
The group's debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful," peaked at no. 1 in the U.K. music charts just one week after its release and also won a BRIT award for Best British Single in 2012.
On April 6, tickets to One Direction's show at Madison Square Garden sold out in less than one minute, according to Hollywood Life.
