Soldier's seven-year-old son refused passport by Home Office because of 'copyright' issues over blockbuster name

18 September 2024, 12:48

A seven-year-old boy has been refused a British passport after the Home Office deemed his name unacceptable for "copyright" reasons.

When soldier Christian Mowbray, 48, of the Corps of Royal Engineers, applied for a passport for his son ahead of a "much needed" family holiday, it seemed like another simple box ticking exercise.

However, Mr Mowbray, who serves at Rock Barracks near Woodbridge, Suffolk, was informed by the Home Office that his son's passport application had been unsuccessful.

The passport application was made using his son's full name - Loki Skywalker Mowbray - who was born on May 4.

Mr Mowbray, a self-declared Star Wars enthusiast, welcomed the timing - given the date is unofficially known as 'Star Wars Day'.

However, despite the reasoning and the name being legally registered and on the seven-year-old's birth certificate, his application was thrown out by Home Office officials over "copyright" infringements.

Mr Mowbray said: 'We were not aware that this could be a potential issue.

"We understand that Loki's middle name is copyrighted, but we have no intention of using it for personal gain.

"I understand the Home Office's position and reasoning, but I believe they need to recognise that modern names are evolving.

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"I can understand if an adult changes their name for a 'stunt', but this is not the case for a child from birth.

"It's caused significant stress for the entire family as we may have to cancel our holiday and we would have been deeply saddened if we had to change our son's name.'

Named after the Marvel and Star Wars characters played by Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill, Loki Skywalker Mowbray's application is said to have infringed a "copyright and trademark" rule.

In an email detailing the issue, the Home Office explained to the family that Loki's name contained a name "which relates to a trademark or copyright" and therefore it would not be acceptable to issue a passport.

Since the issue came to public attention, the family say the Home Office has now U-turned and would now be issuing a British passport to the child

The Home Office said the family's application was "being processed" and apologised for the delay, before confirming the application had been successful.

It comes as Brits were urged to check that their passport expiry dates when booking a holidays, as post-Brexit rules saw countless tourists turned away during international travel.

Since the UK's departure from the European Union, British people going to any country in the EU, other than Ireland - and including Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland - must have a passport that was issued less than ten years ago.

It must also be valid for at least three months after the date you will leave the EU.