Stephen Hawking to trademark his name
Professor Stephen Hawking has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to have his name trademarked.
A spokesman for Cambridge University, where he is director of research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, told The Sunday Times that this was a “personal matter” for Hawking “to protect his name and the success it has brought.”
Outside of the scientific community, Hawking has become a household name across the world after starring in TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, and Star Trek as well as supporting with the Oscar-winning bio-pic The Theory of Everything.
As a result, his name has been attached to everything from t-shirts and mugs to men’s boxers.
Alongside computer games, powered wheelchairs, greetings cards and healthcare, Hawking is also seeking to trademark his name for charitable purposes.
Fellow scientist, Professor Brian Cox, has also decided to trademark his name in a move to similarly better protect where it appears.