Mariah Carey's attempt to secure the "Queen of Christmas" trademark was met with backlash from other prominent artists in the music industry who feel they are also worthy of the title.
The trademark bid, filed in March 2021, has only recently come to light and is still under consideration, BBC reported. A formal objection claim was filed by Elizabeth Chan, who exclusively performs Christmas music, while singer Darlene Love defended her claim to the title on Facebook, claiming she was the Queen of Christmas well before Carey rose to fame.
Carey's name is synonymous with Christmas. Her 1994 album, "Merry Christmas," is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time and her chart-topping single, "All I Want for Christmas is You," is a classic holiday staple.
Love, who recorded the song “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” in 1963, has argued that David Letterman declared her the "Queen of Christmas" nearly three decades ago, before Carey released "All I Want for Christmas is You."
In a Facebook post, Love expressed confusion over Carey's trademark attempt and wondered if it meant she could no longer be referred to as the Queen of Christmas.
"At 81 years of age I’m NOT changing anything," she wrote. "I’ve been in the business for 52 years, have earned it and can still hit those notes. If Mariah has a problem call David or my lawyer!!"
Speaking with Variety, Chan meanwhile condemned Carey's trademark bid.
"Christmas has come way before any of us on earth, and hopefully will be around way after any of us on earth," she said. "And 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. That's just not the right thing to do.
"Christmas is for everyone. It's meant to be shared; it's not meant to be owned.
"And it's not just about the music business," Chan continued. "She's trying to trademark this in every imaginable way — clothing, liquor products, masks, dog collars — it's all over the map.
"If you knit a 'Queen of Christmas' sweater, you should be able to sell it on Etsy to somebody else so they can buy it for their grandma. It's crazy — it would have that breadth of registration."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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