A songwriter is demanding damages after claiming that One Direction ripped off one of his songs.
Amir Shaheed-Edwards – who performs under the name Bravo – alleges that the boy band’s 2015 hit Drag Me Down is ‘essentially identical’ to his song All My Life, which he claims to have released on SoundCloud that same year.
He is now suing the band’s production company Syco Entertainment, but does not give examples of how the songs are similar.
Lawsuit: The management company for One Direction – which includes (L-R) Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles – has been sued by a songwriter, who claims that their hit song Drag Me Down was a rip-off of one of his tracks
As well as asking for damages, the singer has demanded that the company stops selling the song, TMZ reported.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Syco Entertainment and One Direction for comment.
The news comes as band member Louis Tomlinson reported a series of death threats.
The 25-year-old singer is said to have handed the intimidating messages over to the Los Angeles Police Department after he was reportedly warned his family would be skinned and turned into ‘bed sheets’.
Dragged down: Amir Shaheed-Edwards – who performs under the name Bravo – claims that the boy band’s 2015 hit Drag Me Down is ‘essentially identical’ to his song All My Life
The One Direction star – who has 19-month-old son Freddie with his ex-girlfriend Briana Jungwirth – first started receiving the shocking text messages and pornographic images through WhatsApp, according to Gossip Cop, which also claims the abuse was being sent from three separate numbers.
One of the messages reportedly read: ‘Louis I’ll skin your whole family including you and turn y’all into bedsheets, pillow cases, and a queen size blanket.’ [sic]
It is claimed that Louis responded to one of the offensive messages in a bid to discourage the sender, but it didn’t make any difference and the chart-topping star subsequently opted to take the issue to the police.
Singing their heart out: Amir Shaheed-Edwards is now allegedly suing the band’s production company Syco Entertainment, but does not give examples of how the songs are similar
Louis and his attorney Blair Berk are said to have met with officers in person to discuss the abusive messages, with the singer reportedly believing a female American between the age of 18 and 25 is behind them.
This comes shortly after Louis insisted he won’t pressure his son to follow him into showbusiness.
The singer – who has found solo success with his singles Just Hold On and Back To You – said Freddie can do whatever he wants when he gets older.
Throwback: The pop heart-throbs, including former member Zayn Malik, performing on the X Factor in 2012
Louis reflected: ‘Those decisions are down to him when he’s old enough. He can do whatever he wants.’
Meanwhile, Louis revealed that while he never intended to have a baby with his ex-girlfriend, he considers fatherhood to be a ‘blessing’.
He shared: ‘I wouldn’t have made this decision if someone asked me on the day. But thank God that the decision was made for me because it’s just a blessing to be this age and to be able to have a child.’
Trajectory: Since appearing on The X Factor, the singers became a hugely successful band, before embarking on solo careers