Child Denied Passport For Being Named After ‘Game of Thrones’ Character
A young girl’s passport application was reportedly rejected because she shares the same name as a Game of Thrones character. According to the BBC, a mother, identified only as Lucy, was “devastated” when her six-year-old daughter’s passport application was denied.
The outlet says that the six-year-old Khaleesi’s passport application was initially rejected by the Passport Office, with officials stating that they couldn’t issue the passport without permission from Warner Brothers.
Khaleesi is named after a title given to Daenerys Targaryen, a character from Game of Thrones played by Emilia Clarke in all eight seasons of the show.
“I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together,” the girl’s mother told the BBC. Lucy explained to the network that she had been saving up for her family’s “dream” trip to Disneyland in Paris when she applied for the passport.
“But then I had a letter come through from the Passport Office, saying her name is trademarked by Warner Brothers,” Lucy told the outlet. “It was the first I’d heard of such a thing – I was astonished.”
People React
The story soon made its way to TikTok, sparking strong reactions. One person commented, “The fact that any passport office would care about copyrights is crazy.” Another said, “Everyone is based after someone [crying emoji] trademarks should not extend to people getting their government documents.” To back this person up, I’m named after a Days of Our Lives, character Kayla Brady.
Someone else questioned, “So I’m not legally allowed to change my name to Khaleesi because it’s trademarked??”
Some commenters couldn’t resist poking fun at the name. Although it might seem odd to make fun of a child’s name, people still had something to say. One person shared, “I understand discovering a name you like on a show or movie… but Khaleesi??? That is insane lol.” Another joked, “My three sons Ghostbuster, Gremlin, and Goonie had the same issue.”
Rejection Made Right
According to the BBC, Lucy sought advice from legal experts, who informed her that the trademark for Game of Thrones was for goods and services, not for a person’s name. “That information was sent to the Passport Office, who said I would need a letter from Warner Brothers to confirm my daughter is able to use that name,” Lucy told the network.
The Passport Office has since apologized to the family, saying a “mistake” had been made. Officials clarified that their initial guidance only applied to those wishing to change their name, said the BBC.
Lucy told the outlet she believed nothing would have been done had it not been for her post on social media and the subsequent media coverage. “If I hadn’t posted this on social media, nothing would have been done,” she said. “I would have been stuck, not knowing what to do.”
Lucy hopes her story will help others who find themselves in similar situations and is optimistic that Khaleesi’s passport will be issued soon. “We can confirm the application is being processed and apologize to the family for the delay,” an official told the BBC.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. According to UPI, in 2008, Laura Matthews decided to adopt Luke Skywalker’s last name as a joke and even started signing her name as “L. Skywalker” to match the change. However, when Laura Elizabeth Skywalker Matthews applied to renew her passport, Home Office administrators rejected her application due to copyright issues.
After she signed her passport renewal form with her new signature, the Home Office informed the 29-year-old that it “will not recognize a change to a name which is subject to copyright or trademark.” She was told she might need to submit a new passport form with her original signature but would still be able to keep her new name on the document.
