One Direction UK -the massively popular Brit boy band- finally fought back against One Direction -the American group- by filing a lawsuit of their own.

According to E! News, the virtually unknown American boy band earlier sued its more famous British counterpart. The American 1D claimed that Harry Styles and his band mates allegedly stole the 1D name.

Now the Simon Cowell-sponsored One Direction UK have decided to fight back. Their lawyers had countersued the American singers for the exact same charges.

E! News obtained copies of the lawsuit filed by One Direction UK. According to their legal paperwork, the British quintet have “continuously and consistently been utilizing the ONE DIRECTION Mark” since Harry Styles and friends publicly debuted on the popular British television program ‘X Factor’ two years ago.

Earlier, the American One Direction -who just happened to also be a group of five guys- served up a lawsuit in the spring. The American 1D claimed to have gone by that name since 2009, a year before Harry Styles and his fellow Brit hotties came together.

According to the Daily Mail, the Americans filed a lawsuit that asked the One Direction UK to change their band name. The Americans had already filed a trademark application for the name.

The US One Direction also demanded that Sony Music and Cowell’s record label pay them $1 million in damages.

However, One Direction UK claimed that the Americans’ lawsuit is rubbish. The British boy band’s lawyers stated that Harry Styles and company enjoyed “unprecedented success and fame in the United States.” 1D UK was the first U.K. musical act whose debut album entered the U.S. Billboard chart at No.1.

According to E! News, the drama stirred up by the Americans reputedly injured the reputation of the Brit 1D. The Brits’ countersuit stated that the Americans are guilty of fraud, oppression or malice. So Harry Styles and company were entitled to recover punitive damages in addition to actual damages.

The American One Direction had not yet responded to E! News’ queries regarding the countersuit of One Direction UK.

Niall Horan–one-fifth of the insanely popular boy band One Direction-- tempts his fans by getting cozy with a lovely Irish lass days before preparing for the band’s flight and tour of the US.

Perez Hilton reported that the One Direction member hung out with 17-year-old Ali McGinley during Horan’s brief weekend trip to his hometown in Mullingar, Ireland.

According to The Irish Sun, McGinley and Niall Horan are not dating. They first met a few months ago. The members of One Direction are instructed to stay single. That rule is especially onerous on Harry Styles. 1D bosses issued the order to minimize the backlash from zealous fans.

Before he became famous, Niall Horan had previously dated Holly Scally. The Irish Sun reported that Horan fans recently instigated a Twitter rumor that Scally died of cancer. Ali McGinley herself is already under assault as 1D fans posted scathing messages on McGinley’s Tumblr page.

Horan will soon join the rest of his band mates on One Direction for their 2012 North American tour. Their tour DVD, ‘Up All Night – The Live Tour,’ will be released towards the end of May.