Eminent Domain

There are some interesting legal battles in Europe...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Metallica may be a cool name for a heavy metal band, but a Swedish couple is struggling to convince officials it is also suitable for a baby girl.

Michael and Karolina Tomaro are locked in a court battle with Swedish authorities, which rejected their application to name their six-month-old child after the legendary rock band.

The Swedish National Tax Board refused to register the Tomaro girl's name. Apparently they aren't heavy metal fans.

The couple was backed by the County Administrative Court in Goteborg, which ruled on March 13 that there was no reason to block the name. It also noted that there already is a woman in Sweden with Metallica as a middle name.

The tax agency appealed to a higher court, frustrating the family's foreign travel plans.

This is just bizarre. For the record, I think that Metallica is a dumb name and this girl will get teased like crazy in school. Parents shouldn't give their kids names that will make them the target of ridicule. Childhood is hard enough. However, I don't think that it's the job of any government agency to veto names. This is the parents' choice (and mistake) to make.

Maybe the Tax Board is just mad that the Tomaros picked Metallica (an American band with a Danish drummer) instead of a Swedish band. Opeth would be a pretty name for a girl. Or maybe not.