Mariah Carey in Feud Over ‘Queen of Christmas’ Title

Mariah Carey in Feud Over ‘Queen of Christmas’ Title

Mariah Carey in Feud Over ‘Queen of Christmas’ Title



(Newser)

Mariah Carey likes to call herself the “Queen of Christmas,” but now some of her fellow singers say she’s going too far by attempting to trademark the phrase. Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan have also been associated with the term; Chan filed a formal declaration of opposition to Carey’s trademark claim this week, while Love made her opposition clear on social media, Variety reports. Details:

  • Chan: She releases only Christmas music every year, including an album named, yes, Queen of Christmas. She’s been called the Queen of Christmas herself since at least 2014. “I feel very strongly that no one person should hold onto anything around Christmas or monopolize it in the way that Mariah seeks to in perpetuity,” she says, adding that Carey wants “to trademark this in every imaginable way—clothing, liquor products, masks, dog collars—it’s all over the map.”
  • Love: Since she appeared on the iconic Phil Spector’s Christmas Album in 1963, Love has been a “holiday staple,” per Variety. After hearing about the impending court battle, Love wrote on Facebook, “What does that mean, that I can’t use that title? David Letterman officially declared me the Queen of Christmas 29 years ago, a year before she released ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ and at 81 years of age I’m NOT changing anything.” Letterman had Love on his show to sing a Christmas classic every year from 1986 to 2014.


Chan’s lawyer, who took her case pro bono, says, “It’s classic trademark bullying. What they’re trying to say is we want a monopoly over a queen of Christmas in these 16 different classes of goods and hundreds and hundreds of different kinds of products. Carey filed her trademark bid in March 2021 but it was just recently made public and is still under consideration, the BBC reports. Carey has not commented on the dispute. (In June, Carey was sued for $20 million over her biggest Christmas hit.)