A six-year-old girl in the UK got a rejected passport application because her name matched a Game of Thrones character.
According to a recent BBC report, Lucy, a 39-year-old woman from Wiltshire, applied for her daughter Khaleesi’s passport to travel abroad.
However, she received an email stating that the passport application had been denied. This was because her daughter’s name was named after a character from a show that Warners Brothers trademarked.
Lucy is a fan of Game of Thrones and named her daughter Khaleesi, a character from the show. Nevertheless, Lucy never imagined this would cause such an issue. She postponed plans to visit Disneyland and sought legal advice.
After seeking legal advice from her solicitors, it was affirmed that while there is a trademark for Game of Thrones, it only applies to commercial use and not personal use, suggesting that the name shouldn’t be an issue.
After Lucy shared her story on social media, the BBC contacted her. Then, the authorities contacted her, explaining that the denial resulted from an error. Lucy recalled, “I was absolutely devastated. We were so looking forward to our first holiday together.”
“I didn’t understand and felt frustrated. If she could get a birth certificate, would something not have been flagged up then?”
“I never thought you could trademark a name,” she added.
She believes the issue was resolved because it went viral on social media, and she hopes that people in similar situations can realize their problems can be solved.
A Home Office spokesperson stated: “We can confirm the application is being processed and apologize to the family for the delay.” Also, they explained that the passport rejection guidelines apply to those changing their names.
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