A woman was left “devastated” after her daughter’s passport application was rejected because she was named after a Game of Thrones character.
Lucy, 39, from Swindon in Wiltshire, said the Passport Office initially refused the application for Khaleesi, six.
Officials said they were unable to issue a passport unless Warner Brothers gave permission because it owned the name’s trademark. But the authority has since apologised for the error.
The idea that corporations could own your name is positively dystopian.
- AllNewTypeFace ( @AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space ) 30•1 month ago
All the women named Madison suddenly owe royalties to the rightsholders of the 1984 mermaid-in-Manhattan comedy Splash. Also, anyone named Wendy has to pay the J. M. Barrie estate or change their name to Gwendolyn.
- NigelFrobisher ( @NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone ) 10•1 month ago
“Son Of Matthew” Is a pretty name for a girl though.
- Zip2 ( @Zip2@feddit.uk ) 6•1 month ago
This has been pissing me off for so long!
In fact anyone using surnames as first names. Stop it.
- Mesophar ( @Mesophar@lemm.ee ) 6•1 month ago
But Go back far enough, and a surname is just the given name of your father, or the town you live in, or the trade you do.
More accurate to stop using given names as surnames!
- Zip2 ( @Zip2@feddit.uk ) 4•1 month ago
Absolutely. We need to throw off these 11th century traditions and make sure our children’s entire names sound like a double barrelled surname.
- 1024_Kibibytes ( @1024_Kibibytes@lemm.ee ) 5•1 month ago
Now I wonder if that would require a lawsuit between the J. M. Barrie estate & the Wendy’s restaurant chain.
- Ben Hur Horse Race ( @JudahBenHur@lemm.ee ) 4•1 month ago
what a timely reference that everyone will get right away
don’t get me wrong- I watched Splash on HBO once a summer for half a decade- I got chu
- ImplyingImplications ( @ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca ) 57•1 month ago
owned the name’s trademark
People really don’t understand trademark despite it being in the name. It’s a trade mark. It’s a mark on something you trade. It only applies to commercial products. Unless Warner Brothers sells children there’s no trademark violation.
- dumbass ( @dumbass@leminal.space ) English32•1 month ago
Unless Warner Brother’s sells children
With the way the world is lately, it wouldn’t surprise me if they did.
Although, if any one company was going to that, it’d probably be Disney.
- mannycalavera ( @mannycalavera@feddit.uk ) 23•1 month ago
This seems fucking daft. How do you refuse a name? Unless your name is a literal blank then you should be allowed any stupid name you desire.
- VeganCheesecake ( @VeganCheesecake@lemmy.blahaj.zone ) 25•1 month ago
Here in Germany, they can decide to refuse a name for a child if it’s overly krass or might make the child’s life unduly difficult. While one can argue about whether they like that, at least it only happens once. If you have a name, you can get as many passports with it on there as you want.
- HumanPenguin ( @HumanPenguin@feddit.uk ) English14•1 month ago
some twonk at the passport office invented this rule.
hence the apology. The Uk passport office has no right or duty to enforce trademarks.
- Annoyed_🦀 🏅 ( @Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc ) 5•1 month ago
In Malaysia same rule apply, but the only gate is from the National Registration Department, where they might reject name including joke name and stupidly long name, the other department have no such power.
At least no child have to live with the name Biggus Dickus or Incontinetia Buttocks for 18 years.
The Passport Office has admitted that it was a mistake and have sorted this out. The interesting question is how this happened. I’ve known a few people who work their and they aren’t beyond dicking about - back in the day they might mess with famous people by sticking their photograph on upside down. I could see them doing something like this is they thought someone had a stupid name.
- Echo Dot ( @echodot@feddit.uk ) 9•1 month ago
It is a stupid name. Why lumber the kid with an unnecessarily daft name? It’s not even easy to spell.
I’ve got a somewhat odd name (at least I’m not named after a character from a book), and I do wish my parents would just have gone with Tom or something.
- Zagorath ( @Zagorath@aussie.zone ) English8•1 month ago
It’s also not actually a name in the source material. It’s like watching a story about 18th century France and naming your daughter “Dauphine”, or about 1st century BC Rome and naming your son “Consul”.
- Umbrias ( @Umbrias@beehaw.org ) 3•1 month ago
smith, cobbler, tanner. look new names exist somehow, naming people after characters in stories is as old as names.
- PythagreousTitties ( @PythagreousTitties@lemm.ee ) English4•1 month ago
Every country has guidelines and rules on names.
- Echo Dot ( @echodot@feddit.uk ) 1•1 month ago
I’m pretty sure the UK doesn’t.
We probably should but I don’t think we actually do which is why it’s kind of daft that this was refused.
- PythagreousTitties ( @PythagreousTitties@lemm.ee ) English2•1 month ago
The UK does indeed have certain limitations on what a name can be.
Names that contain obscenities, numerals, misleading titles, or are impossible to pronounce are likely to be rejected by the Registering Officer, when registering a child.
There are no restrictions on adults assuming any new name, unless the purpose of the name change is fraudulent.
- Jayjader ( @Jayjader@jlai.lu ) 3•1 month ago
Even a blank name can work for some; https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/ is a fun read if you’ve never encountered it before.
- mannycalavera ( @mannycalavera@feddit.uk ) 2•1 month ago
I’ve only quickly read that. Kinda funny with reference to the Klingon Empire.
However this doesn’t say anything about blank names. The closest it comes is point six.
- People’s names fit within a certain defined amount of space.
But I believe that is talking about an upper limit rather than a lower limit.
If your first and last name (or any combination of however many names you have) is literally blank then how do you expect to function in society? Let alone modern society.
You’ll end up with an alias (which is essentially nickname) that someone assigns you that will become your de facto name… and now you have a name .
- NigelFrobisher ( @NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone ) 23•1 month ago
Mental how many people actually thought Khaleesi was the character’s name.
- invertedspear ( @invertedspear@lemm.ee ) 10•1 month ago
Do you think maybe it’s just the fictional version for all the people that named their children Earl, Princess, Queen, Duke, or any of the other titles that became names?
- NigelFrobisher ( @NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone ) 1•1 month ago
You mean they named their dogs that, right?
- Lojcs ( @Lojcs@lemm.ee ) 21•1 month ago
Official explained there had been a misunderstanding and the guidance staff had originally given applies only to people changing their names.
It’s still fucked
- Th4tGuyII ( @Th4tGuyII@fedia.io ) 16•1 month ago
While completely daft on part of the passport office, I suppose this is a cautionary tale about naming your kids after popular TV characters (particularly those with unique names). Turns out it can cause you a spot of trouble
- jonne ( @jonne@infosec.pub ) 10•1 month ago
Especially if their character arc hasn’t run its course yet. They might turn into a genocidal maniac that has sex with her estranged half brother or something like that.
- snaprails ( @snaprails@feddit.uk ) 1•1 month ago
Now I’ve never watched this programme but now I’m assuming it’s set somewhere below the Mason-Dixon Line, yes? 😉
- snaprails ( @snaprails@feddit.uk ) 2•1 month ago
Reading through the comments to this and all I kept thinking was, “Mrs Yeti Goosecreature, you’ve got a funny name, haven’t you?” “Yes, yes, it’s Simon.” Anyone else that old here ? 😀
Anyone else that old here ? 😀
Oh crumbs no, at least not first time around.