Frank Zappa’s family trust has failed in its bid to prevent a German music festival from using the title ‘Zappanale’.
The country’s top civil court ruled that the trademark ‘Zappa’, filed by the US-based trust in Europe, no longer applies in Germany.
This is because the trademark was not used within five years of its registration, reports Bloomberg.
Judges ruled that the trademark has lost its protection in Germany, meaning the festival organizers do not have to change the name of the event.
The court noted that the trust’s domain name zappa.com merely hosts a website about the late American rock star, and does not represent its use.
Zappa was a prolific recording artist, whose best-known works include Apostrophe, We’re Only in It for the Money and Sheik Yerbouti.
He died of cancer in 1993 having released more than 60 studio albums in a 30-year career.