News

Trademark Causes Owen Pallett to Rename Final Fantasy

8:31 a.m. · December 18, 2009 · by Nick Neyland

Owen Pallett has a new album due out on Domino on Jan. 12 and he is ditching the Final Fantasy name for its release. The record is titled Heartland, and is being advertised just about everywhere as a Final Fantasy album, but will now only bear Pallett’s real name. He has issued a press release to clarify the matter:

Friends,

 

I began playing solo violin shows in 2004.  Although it was essentially a solo project, I named the band Final Fantasy, as the experience--and the tone of the material--was reminiscent of the hours and hours I had spent as an adolescent playing those epic JRPGs.

 

But the laws of trademark infringement exist for good reason, and so I am voluntarily retiring my band name.  In the new year, my record Heartland is coming out, and it is my first to be released in many territories, including Japan.  With this in mind, I feel it is in my own best interests to definitively distinguish my music from Square/Enix's games.

 

So, I am no longer playing shows as Final Fantasy.  Subsequent releases, including Heartland, will be issued under my own name, Owen Pallett.  Prior releases will sometime soon be re-packaged and re-issued.

 

I thank Square/Enix their kindness and support, and I thank you all for your understanding.

 

Salud!

 

Owen

So, anyone picking up a Final Fantasy album thinking they are buying a video game need no longer be confused. Pallett will head out on tour in Jan. to support Heartland, which he previously described as “a narrative concerning a farmer named Lewis and the fictional world of Spectrum.”