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British Passport Officials Say Woman Cannot Use the Name ‘Skywalker’ in Signature

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Authorities told a British woman who tried to add “Skywalker” as a middle name on her passport that she’s committing trademark infringement.

Laura Matthews, 29, legally applied to change her name to Laura Elizabeth Skywalker Matthews “for a bit of a laugh” in 2008, using the famous Star Wars‘ character Luke Skywalker’s moniker, the BBC reports.

When she tried to renew her passport, she wrote her signature as “L. Skywalker.” But passport officials said they “will not recognize a change to a name which is subject to copyright or trademark.” Authorities said she will likely have to submit another passport with a different signature, though with the same printed name.

This was the first time Matthews encountered a problem with her signature. She says that she’s used it on her driving license and credit cards.

[BBC]

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Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com