Simon Cowell's British boy band One Direction, among the hottest new acts in the music business, has been sued for trademark infringement because it is using the same name as a small California pop-rock group.
In what is expected to be a multi-million dollar lawsuit, attorneys for the California band are seeking an injunction that would stop Cowell's Syco Entertainment and Sony Music from using the name One Direction in promotional materials. They also want a share of the profits earned by the chart-topping British boys.
The five Britons are named along with Syco and Sony Music Entertainment in the federal lawsuit filed on Monday.
The California band says they are entitled to three times the profits made by their rivals, as well as compensatory damages in excess of $1 million (Dh3.67 million).
The lawsuit claims that Syco and Sony Music "chose to ignore the plaintiff's rights and wilfully infringed them" after they realised in early 2011 the two bands share the same name.
The northern California band has been using the name One Direction since late 2009 and has recorded two albums, the lawsuit states. It filed an application to register the trademark name in the US in February 2011.
