A soldier and huge Star Wars fan has been told he may have to give up his dream holiday after his young son was denied a passport over copyright issues.
An application for Loki Skywalker Mowbray, who was born on May 4, known as “Star Wars Day” by enthusiasts, was rejected by Home Office officials “on the grounds of copyright issues”.
His father, Christian Mowbray, 48, who serves in the Royal Engineers at Rock Barracks near Woodbridge, Suffolk, was told by the Home Office to change his son’s name or get permission from copyright owner Disney.
Mr Mowbray and his wife Becky, a former soldier, were looking forward to a holiday in the Dominican Republic in late October before the scandal.
It would be the first time the family had been apart since 2014 due to their demanding work schedules and Becky’s struggles with complex PTSD.
Soldier Christian Mowbray, pictured with his wife Becky and their three children, has been told he may have to give up his dream holiday after his baby son Loki Skywalker Mowbray was denied a passport over copyright issues.
Mr Mowbray is a self-confessed Star Wars fan since childhood and named his son Skywalker. Pictured: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia and Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope from 1977
Skywalker is the surname of the central characters in the Star Wars film franchise, owned by Disney.
Mr Mowbray said: “We didn’t know this could be a potential problem.
WHAT ARE THE REASONS WHY A PASSPORT MAY BE DENIED?
According to the guidelines of Her Majesty’s Passport Office:
A passport can only be issued when the Passport Office is satisfied with the identity, nationality and rights of the client.
A client’s name is usually taken at birth and will be verified by a birth certificate, adoption certificate, naturalization or registration certificate, or baptismal certificate.
Customers must apply for their passport using the name they use for all official purposes.
The name on a client’s passport application must match the name on their UK or overseas supporting documents (for example, their birth certificate).
Some names may not be accepted if they are offensive, contain symbols, or infringe trademark or copyright laws.
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 think they need to recognise that modern names are evolving.
‘I can understand an adult changing his name as a ‘trick’, but that is not the case for a child from birth.
“This has caused significant stress for the whole family as we may have had to cancel our holiday and we would have been deeply saddened if we had to change our son’s name.”
When Loki was born on May 4, his parents felt it would be a fitting tribute to give him a middle name related to the franchise that has been a big part of Mowbray’s life since childhood.
In an email to the family detailing the rejection, the Home Office said Loki’s name contained a name “related to a trademark or copyright” and therefore it would not issue a passport.
According to Her Majesty’s Passport Office guidelines, there are a few reasons why a passport application may be refused.
These include clients who apply for a passport with a nickname instead of using the same name they would use for all official purposes.
The name on a client’s passport application must also match the name on their UK or overseas supporting documents, such as their birth certificate.
As with the Mowbray family, some names may not be accepted if they cause offence, contain symbols or infringe trademark or copyright laws.
The Passport Office added that names containing symbols can cause technical problems when processed through a computer.
Regarding copyright, the official guidelines state: “An application using an existing trade or business name will require the applicant to provide written confirmation from the owner of that trademark or copyright that they consent to the use of that name or confirmation that the name in the public domain is not subject to any copyright or trademark restrictions.”
It adds: ‘Where an application falls within this category, the passport should be refused on the basis that: ‘The passport application submitted by you… does not meet the criteria published by Her Majesty’s Passport Office on the use of names.
‘Your application contains a name that may be associated with a trademark or copyright and you have not provided confirmation that the owner of that trademark or copyright agrees to your use of the proposed name or confirmation from the person or organization using that name, which is in the public domain and is not subject to any trademark or copyright provisions.’
Since news of the dispute broke, the family has been told that the Home Office had done a U-turn and that they would be issued a passport.
The Home Office said the family’s application was “being processed” and apologised for the delay.
He later confirmed that he had approved the request.
The family has two other children, Kaycie and Willow.
Christian said that with the passport now issued, they will be able to enjoy a “much-needed” vacation.
Last year, a mom and dad shared that they also wanted to name their son after Anakin Skywalker, who later became Darth Vader.
They revealed that they were worried that their son could be bullied as a result of this.
Writing on a baby name forum, the couple said: ‘My husband and I have a pretty unique pop culture name we’d like to use for our future child, but every time we tell people about it the first thing they say is ‘Oh my god no, he’s going to get bullied for that! ‘
“So you hate your son that much?” And it’s like… I think it’s a little dramatic, they just don’t like the name.
‘When I was little, I went to school with a boy named Madison and I didn’t bat an eyelid because I didn’t yet know that was traditionally a girl’s name.
“It’s not the children who make fun of it, but the adults, which I think is worse.”
Myk and Charlotte Estlick, pictured on holiday in Turkey last year, were unable to return in May after an ink blot on their passport caused airline staff to turn the family away.
Charlotte Estlick posted photos of the “almost invisible” stain on Facebook
MailOnline previously reported on fussy passport rules that could scupper travel plans after families were denied permission to fly.
Aside from name issues, small paper tears and ink stains are among the minor inconveniences that have led to families being turned away at airport check-in.
In May, mother-of-one Charlotte Estlick discovered her package holiday to Dalaman in Turkey was in jeopardy after authorities prevented her husband Myk, 28, from flying because his passport was lightly marked with blue ink after it had apparently gotten wet.
Another frustrated traveller was Nathan Barnes, 31, from Norwich, who was told he couldn’t fly because his passport was more than 10 years old, even though it hadn’t expired yet.
He was travelling with his fiancée to visit her family in Limoge, France, but was hit by a new rule introduced since Britain left the EU.
Bethany Senior, from Oldham, had a one-millimetre tear in her passport, which was spotted by Qatar Airways staff at Manchester Airport.
Meanwhile, another devastated family spent £7,000 on a luxury family holiday to Thailand only to be turned away at the airport when check-in staff discovered a small tear in a passport.
Bethany, the daughter of Suzanne Senior, a nanny from Oldham, had a one-millimetre tear in her passport, which was spotted by Qatar Airways staff also at Manchester Airport.
And a Ryanair passenger was prevented from boarding a flight for a dream holiday costing £1,000 because of a small tear in his passport, it was reported in January this year.
Jake Burton, 19, from Mansfield, was due to take his first flight to Benidorm with his parents to celebrate the New Year.
But the low-cost airline told him he couldn’t board after failing final checks.
In an email to the family detailing the refusal, the Home Office said Loki’s name contained a name “that relates to a trademark or copyright” and therefore it would not issue a passport.