Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe lost his cloak of anonymity as a legal battle began over whether he should ever be freed.
A High Court judge set up a hearing to decide the minimum term he must remain in custody before parole can be considered.
During the preliminary proceedings, it became clear that a whole-life tariff is among the options under consideration for Sutcliffe, currently held in a top security psychiatric hospital.
Mr Justice Mitting, sitting in London, was told that the killer, now 63, wished to attend the tariff-setting hearing in person.
Now known as Peter Coonan, the lorry driver from Bradford was convicted at the Old Bailey in London in 1981 for the murder of 13 women, and seven counts of attempted murder, in Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
It was said at his trial he believed he was on a "mission from God" to kill prostitutes, although not all of his victims were prostitutes.
He was dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper because he mutilated their bodies using a hammer, a sharpened screw driver and a knife.
The trial jury rejected his claim of diminished responsibility and found him guilty of murder.
Mr Justice Mitting, giving directions for the pending hearing, said: "A tariff will be set. Indeed it is long overdue."
Lifting an existing court order giving Sutcliffe anonymity, he ruled: "The press are at liberty to report the fact that these proceedings concern Peter Sutcliffe/Peter Coonan."
