6-year-old Khaleesi's passport application rejected over 'Game of Thrones' trademark
An English mother was heartbroken after her daughter, Khaleesi, was denied a passport due to a trademark claim by Warner Bros.
The family had been eagerly anticipating a trip to Disneyland Paris when they received a shocking letter from the Passport Office stating that the name Khaleesi was trademarked, BBC reported.
"I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together," Lucy said.
She said this was "the first I've heard of such a thing" and that she was "astonished."
Lucy's lawyers found that, although Game of Thrones is a registered trademark, the rights do not encompass personal names.
"That information was sent to the Passport Office who said I would need a letter from Warner Brothers to confirm my daughter is able to use that name," she said.
Lucy said she didn't "understand and felt frustrated," questioning why the issue with her daughter's name wasn't raised when the birth certificate was issued.
The Passport Office has acknowledged the "mistake," explaining that there was a misunderstanding internally. They have since apologized to Lucy.
"He advised me that they should be able to process my daughter's passport now, " she said.
Lucy believes the media attention helped resolve the issue and suspects that many others are facing similar problems.
"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," she said.
She assured those in the same boat as theirs that "it can be resolved."
"I think there might be other people in this situation, that they may have had their passports declined recently because of something like this."
A spokesperson from the Passport Office said that Khaleesi's application is "being processed."