this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2024
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[–] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 223 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Khaleesi, 6, a passport was denied — with officials telling her she needed Warner Brothers’ approval because it owns the name’s trademark.

Typical capitalist brain rot.

Shouldn't they also use the same bullshit excuse when issuing an ID card? At least make the dumb rules consistent.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 84 points 1 month ago (3 children)

By this logic, everyone named Mickey should be paying Disney a royalty...

Wait shit retract delete delete DISNEY I DID JOT SAY ANYTHING DONT GET ANY FUCKING IDEAS NOW.

[–] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Mickey is a real name, though. It wasn't invented by Disney.

Not that their lawyers would care lmao

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[–] Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The Passport Office reportedly later called Lucy to apologize for the error.

They screwed up, and have admitted they screwed up. Did nobody read the article?

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I got half way before the pop-ups became too much.

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[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 145 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (19 children)

The idiocy of naming your kid Khaleesi aside, the UK just decided that a corporation can own your name and prevent you from enjoying the rights of your citizenship.

That's pretty fucked.

Edit - Apparently they did backtrack. But it's still amazing that anyone even thought that was a thing.

[–] mechoman444@lemmy.world 29 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Khaleesi is a nice name aside from the fact that I think it's a title...

Khaleesi is a title, not a name. In the fictional world of "Game of Thrones," it means "queen" in the Dothraki language and is given to the wife of a Khal, the leader of a Dothraki tribe. The character Daenerys Targaryen is often referred to as Khaleesi. - chat gpt

Ya... It's a title.

[–] radicalautonomy@lemmy.world 35 points 1 month ago (6 children)

I've had students named Happy, Classic, Diamonds, Epiphany, Scorpio, you name it. I wouldn't even cock my head to the side with a Khaleesi on my roll sheet at this point.

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[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The idiocy of naming your kid Khaleesi aside

It's nice sounding as a name though, I wouldn't be in a rush to condemn someone for it. Now when it's the 5th "unique" spelling of Madison that starts to get a little ridiculous.

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[–] Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The Passport Office reportedly later called Lucy to apologize for the error.

No, they can't. That's not how copyright works. Read the damn article.

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[–] Dashmezzo@lemm.ee 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It seems that there is only two restrictions in the UK on naming a child at birth. That is that it must fit on a single line on the birth certificate and not contain numeric characters except things like ii to refer to the second.

If you want to change your name later in life there is a lot of restrictions but as far as I know copyright enforcement is still not one. You can find a list here if you are interested.

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[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 132 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The kid doesn't deserve this, but she doesn't deserve that name either.

[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 78 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Second of Her Name, Rightful Queen of the Bratz Dolls, The Breaker of Bedtimes...

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago
[–] MrJameGumb@lemmy.world 48 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I'm pretty sure we're going to keep hearing about people with Game of Thrones names a lot over the next few decades lol I know I've read a few articles saying that Arya and Khaleesi were the most popular girls names for a few years before the series ended

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 63 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

At least Arya is a name; Khaleesi is a title

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 27 points 1 month ago (8 children)

So is Christ, and therefore Christine and Christopher. Or Rex. Or Duke... Or Earl... Or Lady... Or Baron.

Bishop.

Pope.

Smith.

I'm sure there are more.

[–] herrvogel@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Don't care. Gonna name my firstborn Right Honourable

[–] Jerkface@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

"Major Major had been born too late and too mediocre. Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major Major it had been all three. Even among men lacking all distinction he inevitably stood out as a man lacking more distinction than all the rest, and people who met him were always impressed by how unimpressive he was."

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[–] DarkThoughts@fedia.io 30 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Arya is a normal name though. Khaleesi was specifically made up title for GoT.

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[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 100 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Why the f is a passport office concerned with a trademark. It is a name of a child.. it does not infringe.

[–] A_Very_Big_Fan@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

People with the last name "Ford" in shambles

[–] RedWeasel@lemmy.world 80 points 1 month ago (2 children)

So, they passport office is concerned that WB won't approve? ffs.

[–] MrJameGumb@lemmy.world 58 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Right? Like did she have to ask WB for permission to name her kid Khaleesi? Of course not! It's a kid's name not a spin off series lol

[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

But does that mean I can name my kid Walt Disney Company?

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago

... try it out and let us know

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 month ago

Sure… Walter is a regular first name, and there’s lots of people with the last name Disney. It’s from “de Ysini”, and lots of people lived and live in the Ysini region. Company is from the French compagnie, from Latin companio, where we also get companion.

So “Walter of Ysini, Friend” AKA “Walt Disney Company” is a perfectly legitimate name.

As is Michael Mouse.

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[–] alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml 74 points 1 month ago (5 children)

The Passport Office reportedly later called Lucy to apologize for the error. While officials said they’d now be able to process little Khaleesi’s passport, Lucy said she believes the problem was only solved because she complained on social media.

Sounds like the passport office didn't understand how trademark works.

[–] GlenRambo@jlai.lu 28 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Doubt the "whole office" was even involved. More likely it was one incompetent employee. We've all been there. It depends on who answers your call as to what answer you get.

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[–] woelkchen@lemmy.world 63 points 1 month ago (7 children)

“I never thought you could trademark a name,” she added.

I hope my son Marvel's The Amazing Spider-Man is not going to get in trouble.

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[–] huquad@lemmy.ml 51 points 1 month ago (2 children)

This is their fault for not checking the username db first. Should've tried xXx_khaleesi_xXx instead

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[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 44 points 1 month ago (4 children)

the initial application to get her daughter, Khaleesi, 6, a passport was denied — with officials telling her she needed Warner Brothers’ approval because it owns the name’s trademark.

This is a lot dumber than I thought. Yes, Khaleesi is a stupid name but it is their official name on government papers. They're seriously telling her "your daughter can't use her legal name without permission from Warner Brothers"?

[–] Viper_NZ@lemmy.nz 21 points 1 month ago (6 children)

God help anyone with the last name McDonald!

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[–] weariedfae@lemmy.world 43 points 1 month ago (5 children)

As the article states this is bullshit and who knows what the person who denied her passport was thinking.

I've met someone whose legal name was Pepsi and she was able to get regular government documents without contacting PepsiCo.

It's unfortunate this mom had to go to a lawyer for this crap.

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[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 38 points 1 month ago

I don't understand why the Passport Office would have even looked.

[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 35 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (22 children)

The name Wendy didn't exist until the book Peterpan. Every part of language is made up, even the names.

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[–] Xenny@lemmy.world 33 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

What's wrong with passport offices? Here in the states I tried to get my passport in my teen years. I filled all the paperwork paid for it and everything when it came time to get the passport they were just like"you don't exist your social security number isn't real" and that's b******* since my mom had been literally filing taxes with that number as a dependent my entire life. The passport office said tough s*** fax me all your ID information maybe we can do something. So I literally hooked up a fax machine in 2014 and sent everything off but still nothing.

Tl;Dr US passport office told me I'm not a person and took my money anyway.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

A. Call your Congress critter. Part of their job is tracking stuff like this down.

B. Go check with SSA immediately. That can be a big problem later.

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[–] moistclump@lemmy.world 30 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

In case anyone else wanted to save a click, daughters name is Khaleesi and it was denied because “Warner brothers trademark”

[–] el_abuelo@programming.dev 27 points 1 month ago (7 children)

People in this thread frothing at the mouth because it's a title, not a name, must have forgotten about Caesar. And that it doesn't matter - people call their kids all kinds of weird shit.

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[–] SexualPolytope@lemmy.sdf.org 27 points 1 month ago (8 children)

The people involved with this bullshit should be sacked. Typical power-tripping idiots.

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[–] xwolpertinger@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago

I'm just glad the parents named her that before the last season of GOT released.

Otherwise it would be even more concerning.

[–] ArghlBarghlFooFera 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Khaleesi

I fully expected her to be named "Reek".

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[–] cornshark@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago

This doesn't make any sense. UPS has trademarked the colour brown, yet I've known people with the last name Brown who have been able to get passports.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 1 month ago

You named your daughter after a tv/book character famous for getting naked, railed, being a bit nuts, and losing a war? I guess she OG owned some dragons for a while. Destined to be bad ass destroy all mega lizards before season 8 destroyed an entire series.

[–] hesusingthespiritbomb@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I feel like Game of Thrones could have had Harry Potter levels of cultural staying power if they didn't completely fuck the ending.

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