Physicist Stephen Hawking To Trademark His Name; Initiates The Patenting Process By Applying To The Intellectual Property Office

The 73-year-old world famous physicist and cosmetologist, Professor Stephen Hawking, has filed an application to the Intellectual Property Office to register his name formally and get his name trademarked. According to the sources, Hawking has taken the decision primarily for charitable purposes.

The research director at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge has reportedly taken this decision to prevent others from using and aligning his name with “inappropriate” products. Other celebrities including David Bekham and J.K. Rowling took the same decision earlier as that of Hawking. Recently, the famous English physicist, Brian Cox, also independently applied to get his name trademarked.

A spokesperson from the University of Cambridge declared the trademark application as a “personal matter” targeted to protect Hawking's name and the success associated with it.

“It’s a personal matter for Stephen Hawking; it is not a university issue, but he has taken measures to protect his name and the success it has brought,” said the director of research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, reported the Techie News.

The trademarking of Hawking's name for charitable purposes will provide an option for him to set up a foundation, the primary motive behind applying for a trademark, According to the Techie News, the trademark of his name covers healthcare, powered wheelchairs, greeting cards and computer games.

“It depends on how successfully his advisers can license and market products and services. If he were to die, then the trademarks could be transferred to his foundation or offspring – they could be a never-ending monopoly,” said the president of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, Chris McLeod. According to McLeod, this step can be worth millions of pounds.

The British physicist came into limelight once again with the Oscar-winning movie based on his life, “Theory of Everything.” The biopic movie received appreciation from the audiences across the globe.

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