A family have spoken of their ordeal after their seven-year-old son, whose middle name is inspired by the Star Wars films, was refused a passport due to copyright issues.

Christian Mowbray, 48, is a serving soldier in The Corps of Royal Engineers at the Rock Barracks in Sutton Heath, near Woodbridge.

He and his wife Becky, a former serving soldier, booked a holiday to the Dominican Republic at the end of October, the family’s first since 2014 due to their demanding work schedules and Becky’s struggles with Complex PTSD.

However, when they tried to secure a passport for their youngest child, Loki Skywalker Mowbray, the Home Office refused it on copyright grounds, telling the family to either change his name or get permission from the copyright owner, Disney.

The family then confirmed that, on Friday, the Home Office would be issuing a passport.

Before this, when SuffolkNews approached it for comment, it said the family’s application was ‘being processed’ and apologised for the delay. It then later confirmed it had approved the application.

Previously:

  • @teolan
    link
    13 months ago

    I didn’t know about those. I wonder where and why one would get one given that a "standard passport for your country does the same.

    In France everybody uses the national passport when going abroad, and no EU agency is involved in getting one.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      23 months ago

      It is used only as a diplomatic passport for EU representatives. Unlike with a normal French passport, you get diplomatic immunity, to walk through border checkpoints without being searched and so forth.