Stephen Lovekin/Getty ImagesTalk about a confusing battle of the boy bands.
Shortly after virtually unknown American boy band One Direction sued the British (and more famous) One Direction claiming the latter allegedly stole their band name, the British boy-banders are fighting back, countersuing the American singers for essentially the same exact thing.
In the U.K. One Direction's lawsuit, obtained by E! News, the quintet says they have "continuously and consistently been 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."
So what's up with the American One Direction claims then (they also happen to be a group of five guys)?
The U.S. version, who served up a lawsuit in the spring, claimed they've have been calling themselves One Direction since they formed the band back in 2009, a year before the scream-inducing British hotties ever met.
In their lawsuit, they asked the U.K.'s One Direction to change their band name, claiming they had already filed a trademark application for the name, according to the Daily Mail.
And that was just the beginning.
The U.S. One Direction also sued Sony Music and Simon Cowell's record label to the tune of $1 million in damages Monday.
Meanwhile, the U.K. One Direction is claiming the whole thing is rubbish, saying in their suit they have enjoyed "unprecedented success and fame in the United States," and "became the first U.K. musical act to have a debut album enter the U.S. Billboard chart at No.1."
And they're expecting the American singing group to pay for the stirring up the drama.
"[U.S. One Direction] is guilty of fraud, oppression or malice, and by reason thereof, [U.K. One Direction] are, in addition to their actual damages, entitled to recover punitive damages," the document went on.
The U.S. One Direction has not yet returned requests for comment.