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Dweezil Zappa has announced a public campaign to protect his right to use the 'Zappa' name. Hosted by Pledge Music, The Others of Intention campaign is offering original music downloads and merchandise - donors are invited to participate in the campaign by purchasing items ranging from a digital access pass to Zappa-inscribed guitar picks to limited edition Zappa artwork and vinyl record albums as well as a select assortment of one-of-a-kind Zappa guitars for sale.
Last May, Dweezil published a blog titled “It Can Happen Here” at his website. The open letter to Zappa fans described an upcoming tour and strongly alluded to a pending legal battle to save his right to the surname Zappa where he said: “Beyond that, there have been a few other changes. Mainly name changes. As you may or may not know I now tour under my own name, Dweezil Zappa, instead of Zappa Plays Zappa because my brother Ahmet and my sister Diva who run the Zappa Family Trust (ZFT) claimed ownership of the name Zappa Plays Zappa which my mother trademarked in 2007. The heavily tweezed language appropriating that trademark was designed by my mother to distinguish between the 2 uses of Zappa. One indicating Frank Zappa and the other indicating any other Zappa ‘family member’ who wishes to use the name to publicly tour and play the music. This of course is silly considering no other family member is capable of playing Frank Zappa’s music nor have they shown any intent to go out and do so in the past 11 years. Curiously, the one that is capable and has been devoted to doing so for the past 11 years, is no longer allowed to use that name because of a cease and desist order fired off by the ZFT legal department."
he added
“There are more layers that continue to unfold around the conflict within the family. The ZFT has recently set their sites on trademarking the surname Zappa which will create a host of other issues that I will have to oppose.”
http://www.inquisitr.com/3800382/dweezil-zappa-last-name-copyright-struggle-continues/