1. One Direction Sues Band With Same Name: Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and the Rest Fight Back

   June 24, 2012 09:35 AM EDT
   One Direction is obviously one of the hottest topics around in the music industry of late, what with the group's five hunky, British boys melting girls' hearts from England to the United States and beyond. But Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan have also found themselves in hot water—an American boy band by the same name has sued the UK 1D for stealing their moniker. And, in so doing, they probably just became one of the most despised ensembles among that real crush of Directioners.
   Ironically, the U.S. group from California also happens to have five male members. But, despite their allegations that they formed the band in 2009, they are more or less a zero on the scale of popularity rather than a chart-topping, Billboard No. 1 tour de force like those Brits. But Styles, Payne, Tomlinson, Malik and Horan aren't sitting on their laurels and taking this lawsuit lying down; they're fighting back hard and counter-suing!
   As E! News reports, the "What Makes You Beautiful" singers are putting their ugly faces on (if that's even possible among the cute group!) and turning the tables, suing the American quintet for nearly the same thing—for "continuously and consistently utilizing the One Direction Mark since ODUK made its public debut on the popular British television program The X Factor in the fall of 2010."
   To add insult to injury, ODUK added more aggressive firepower to their lawsuit: "[U.S. One Direction] is guilty of fraud, oppression or malice, and by reason thereof, [ODUK] are, in addition to their actual damages, entitled to recover punitive damages."

So, would a band by any other name smell as sweet?!
Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan think not—of course. They may be "Up All Night" not only performing on concert stages, but also fighting for their right of way to still be 1D. They have lots of Directioners out there depending on it and a huge fan club that's undoubtedly on their side.
It's interesting to ponder whether the American boys would even care if the famous 1D wasn't so successful. Hopefully, their intent isn't really malicious and they're not just taking advantage of the handsome Brits to try and line their own pockets. It seems far easier for ODUS to change their name; perhaps it might even help their so-far non-existent rankings on the charts.