Greta Thunberg Takes Action to Protect Her Name

A sign of just how big Greta Thunberg has become: The young climate activist says she is reluctantly registering to trademark her own name, reports the Local in Sweden. The 17-year-old says too many people are attempting to cash in on it without her consent, she explains in an Instagram post. "I assure you, I and the other school strikers have absolutely no interest in trademarks, "she writes. "But unfortunately it needs to be done." Thunberg also is trademarking the name of her Fridays for Future school-strike movement.

"Fridays For Future is a global movement founded by me," she writes, per dw.com. "It belongs to anyone taking part in it, above all the young people. It can—and must—not be used for individual or commercial purposes." The name refers to the Friday school-strike protests she initiated in 2018. The trademark would also cover Skolstrejk for Klimatet, which translates to "school strike for the climate." In her online post, Thunberg also announced she is setting up a nonprofit foundation whose aim "will be to promote ecological, climatic, and social sustainability, as well as mental health." (More Greta Thunberg stories.)