Boy, 7, named after Star Wars icon refused passport for household vacation
A soldier was refused a passport for his seven-year-old son named after a Star Wars character on copyright grounds.
Christian Mowbray, 48, named his son Loki Skywalker Mowbray after the Star Wars family name, which include hero Luke Skywalker, as a huge fan of the popular film franchise.
He and wife Becky applied for a passport for Loki as the family had booked a holiday to the Dominican Republic at the end of October.
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The trip was to be their first for more than a decade owing to both of their work schedules as soldiers in the army.
But the Home Office refused to issue one for copyright reasons and told the family to either change his name or get permission from owners Disney.
Christian, a Royal Engineers soldier, 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.
“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.
“We would have been deeply saddened if we had to change our son’s name.”
The family were spared having to take their case to Disney after the Home Office backed down.
The Home Office said the family’s application is now “being processed” and apologised for the delay.
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