The manager of an American band called One Direction who are currently embroiled in a legal dispute over their band name says that they are "not going to be pushed around" by Simon Cowell.

News broke recently that a US band called One Direction are set to launch a $1m lawsuit against the team behind the British One Direction - Simon Cowell's Syco and Sony - because they felt they should have the rights to the name in the US.

Speaking to The Sun, the manager for One Direction US Dan O'Leary said that they are not going to be "pushed around" by Cowell in the battle over the name. He said:

"I don't care how powerful Simon Cowell is. He's mad if he thinks we're going to lie down, sit down or back down over this - whatever power and money he has behind him. We're not going to be pushed around by some music mogul."

He continued: "The British One Direction have Mr Cowell's enormous resources behind them. We on the other hand do not. In our view, we were here first. We have rights, we have talent, and we have heart."