British boy denied passport by the Home Office over his 'copyrighted' name
A couple saw their long-awaited family holiday be put at risk of being cancelled when their son’s passport application was rejected.
The UK Home Office initially denied a seven-year-old boy’s passport application due to concerns over copyright infringement surrounding his name.
The bizarre incident started when Christian Mowbray, a 48-year-old soldier serving in the Corps of Royal Engineers at Rock Barracks in Suffolk, and his wife Becky applied for a passport for their youngest kid.
The family were excited to travel to the Dominican Republic, which would be their first getaway since 2014.
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However, the Home Office almost put a stop to their plan when they informed the family they would need to either get permission from Disney or change their son’s name to go ahead with the application.
What the Mowbrays thought would be a relatively easy process turned into a bureaucratic nightmare due to their love of Star Wars.
Their son, Loki Skywalker Mowbray, had his application rejected due to his middle name, which is associated with the film franchise copyrighted by Disney.
The boy was born on May 4, a special day for any Star Wars fan, so his parents thought to honour the movies naming him after Luke Skywalker, the character played by Mark Hamill. The Home Office, however, had other plans.
According to UK passport rules, the ID can't be issued ‘in a name that may be subject to a trademark or copyright restriction’.
The applicant will need to provide written evidence from the owner of the trademark or copyright, in which is stated that they give their consent to the use of the name, and confirm that the name is not subject to a copyright or trademark restriction.
If permission from the owner of the copyrighted name isn’t obtained, the passport application will be rejected.
“We were not aware that this could be a potential issue," Mowbray told Suffolk News. "We understand that Loki's middle name is copyrighted, but we have no intention of using it for personal gain."
The dad also explained his frustration at the possibility of having to cancel their holiday out of his tribute to Star Wars' beloved Luke.
”I understand the Home Office's position and reasoning, but I believe they need to recognise that modern names are evolving," he said.
"It's caused significant stress for the entire family as we may have to cancel our holiday, and we would be deeply saddened if we had to change our son's name.”
Luckily, it seems the Home Office ultimately reversed the decision, allowing Loki Skywalker to get his passport and jet off to the Dominican Republic with his family.
LADbible has reached out to the Home Office and Disney for comment.
Stefania Sarrubba