Girl, 6, Denied Passport Because Her Name Is ‘Trademarked’
A mom was left ‘devastated’ after her six-year-old daughter’s passport application was rejected because of her name.
Lucy, from Wiltshire, UK, saved for over two years and often worked 50-hour weeks to take her little girl to Disneyland Paris.
Yet a letter from the Passport Office would shatter plans for the family’s ‘dream’ holiday, as there was an issue with the six-year-old’s passport application.
The issue in question? Well, it was all to do with Lucy’s daughter’s unusual name.
People have reacted on social media after hearing Lucy and her daughter’s story.
One person says: “I’m shocked it was an issue in the first place considering the birth register accepted it years before.”
Another adds: “How ridiculous.”
“Out of all the names these days, this one is rejected?” comments someone else.
Officials originally told Lucy they couldn’t issue her daughter a passport unless Warner Brothers gave permission, as it owned the name’s trademark.
In an interview with the BBC, the mom said she felt ‘frustrated’ by the situation as they had been ‘so looking forward’ to their first holiday together.
Although the situation has now been resolved, the 39-year-old believes this is due to her story’s media coverage.
In an interview with the BBC, the mom said she felt ‘frustrated’ by the situation as they had been ‘so looking forward’ to their first holiday together.
Although the situation has now been resolved, the 39-year-old believes this is due to her story’s media coverage.
She told the BBC: “If I hadn’t posted this on social media, nothing would have been done. I would have been stuck, not knowing what to do.
“People contacted me about similar experiences.”
Determined to resolve the situation, Lucy sought legal advice. Her solicitors found that while there’s a trademark for Game of Thrones, it’s for goods and services – not a person’s name.
You see, the mom’s daughter is named Khaleesi, which if you aren’t familiar with the Game of Thrones franchise is the name of Daenerys Targaryen, who often introduces herself as Khaleesi.
According to The Bump, Khaleesi is a feminine title meaning ‘queen’ in Dothraki, a fictional language created by GOT author George R. R. Martin.
The Passport Office reportedly called the mom and apologized for the error. The situation was put down to a misunderstanding, with the advice the staff had relayed only applying to people changing their names.
Although the matter was eventually resolved, Lucy told The Independent that holiday prices increased.
She said: “We may not be able to go to Disney now because of the delay, the prices have gone up by £800. I have been working for six days a week to pay for the holiday and now it looks like we won’t be able to go.”
Determined to take her little girl away, Lucy set up a GoFundMe page, for which the description reads: “Now I am asking for help to get us this holiday as since the delay in all of this the price of the holiday has gone from £1800 to £3200 for the cheapest hotel.”
Since 2014, the name Khaleesi has steadily grown in popularity. In 2017, the year Lucy’s daughter was born, 76 girls were given the name from the hit HBO show.
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