One Direction to keep name after legal dispute

One Direction are keeping their name after reaching a deal with a US act with whom they had been locked in a legal dispute.

A Californian rock band had already been using the One Direction name and was claiming $1m (€794,940) in damages, a share of profits and wanted the British group renamed.

Both sides say the dispute has been "resolved amicably".

The US band are now known as Uncharted Shores.- the title of one of their two albums.

The British group - Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson - was formed two years ago for 'The X Factor'.

They have gone on to take the US charts by storm with debut release Up All Night becoming the first by a UK act to debut at number one on the Billboard album chart.

A joint statement issued on behalf of both groups said: "All of the parties involved are pleased with the resolution and wish each other success."

The US group - formed in 2009 - filed a lawsuit earlier this year after they said efforts to "negotiate a reasonable compromise" had failed.

They said the British group's representatives had been aware a year earlier about their claim to the name which they said had been registered by them as a trademark.

"They chose not to use a different name. They chose to press ahead, using the exact same name, One Direction, setting up the current difficulties and confusion in the United States," the US act said in a blog.

Last year there was another legal dispute over the use of a name by an 'X Factor' group.

Little Mix, who won the 2011 series and are currently number one with 'Wings', were originally called Rhythmix, a name already adopted and registered by a music charity which then ran up legal fees defending its use of the trademark.