World famous cosmologist, theoretical physicist, and research director at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, Professor Stephen Hawking, has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to have his name trademarked.
A University of Cambridge spokesman told the Sunday Times that the application is a “personal matter” for the professor “to protect his name and the success it has brought.”
Professor Hawking is not only famous in the scientific community globally, he is also a household name across the world, spanning virtually every socioeconomic group and age range.
The Intellectual Property Office has two applications by Stephen Hawking, this one and another that focuses on printed publications. (Image: Intellectual Property Office)
Prof. Hawking has starred in several TV shows including Star Trek (as a holographic simulation of himself in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1993), The Simpsons, and The Big Bang Theory. He also allowed the use of his trademarked synthesized voice in the biographical 2014 movie The Theory of Everything.
In 1993, his synthesized voice was recorded for the Pink Floyd song ‘Keep Talking’.
His fame has also been used to advertise a wheelchair, as well as promoting British Telecom, Go Compare, Egg Banking, National Savings and Specsavers.
As a result, the name Stephen Hawking has been attached to hundreds of products, including mugs, men’s underpants and T-shirts.
Stephen Hawking is a household name all over the world.
Alongside healthcare, greeting cards, books, magazines, powered wheelchairs and computer games, Prof. Hawking also aims to trademark his name for charitable purposes.
Professor Brian Fox, an English physicists, and professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester’s School of Physics and Astronomy, has also applied to better protect his name for similar reasons.