Teenagers everywhere couldn’t believe their ears when a British judge presiding over a One Direction court case said he had to stop court proceedings because he had never heard of the famous boy band.
“Don’t be surprised to hear that I have not heard of [the band],” said Judge Ian Lawrie QC of the Plymouth Crown Court, according to The Sun. “I am more of a Bach man myself.”
The One Direction trial pertains to three unauthorized individuals selling more than 1,000 fake One Direction-branded T-shirts. Kenneth Colley, Anna Strzelecka and Jason Ross were accused of abusing the trademarked band name.
The trio sold counterfeit One Direction merchandise on eBay for three years resulting in more than $200,000 worth of profits.
Along with admitting he’s not privy to trending boy bands, Lawrie also has said he would not be sending the counterfeiters to jail.
This isn’t the first court proceeding that has dealt with counterfeit One Direction merchandise, either. David Scott made about $87,000 a year selling the band’s fraudulent merchandise on eBay, according to the Daily Star.
Scott told the court he was unaware of trademark laws, but the judge sentenced him to a three-year conditional discharge and fined him about $5,800.
