US One Direction sue UK One Direction over use of band name

An American pop-punk band called One Direction are suing the UK’s One Direction over who has the rights to use the band name One Direction.

The American One Direction claim they formed in 2009, a year before Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson got together on X Factor. Also, the US’s band’s debut album, The Light, went on sale in February 2011, eight months before the UK’s One Direction released their debut album, Up All Night.

To make matters worse, not only have confused American fans being purchasing the American One Direction’s album when they meant to buy the UK band’s album, US TV channel NBC accidentally used one of the American One Direction’s tracks on their Today Show programme as a soundbed for footage of the UK’s band’s recent visit to the US! FML!

The US One Direction claim they are entitled to nearly £600,000 in damages, plus three times the profits the UK’s One Direction have made.

Spot the difference:

One Direction…

…And One Direction!

One Direction - One Thing on MUZU.TV.

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