Mariah Carey: why did the singer fail to register the ‘queen of Christmas’ trademark?

by

BBC News Brazil

American singer Mariah Carey, who became associated with the Christmas period for the hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, was denied registration of the trademark “Queen of Christmas” (“Queen of Christmas”) by the US Patent and Trademark Office United.

Registration would give Carey the legal right to prevent others from using the title in music and merchandise. Carey also intended to obtain ownership of the abbreviation “QOC” and the term “Princess Christmas”.

Carey’s company, Lotion LLC, filed the filing last year. But another singer, Elizabeth Chan, filed a lawsuit last August contesting the request. As the singer’s representatives did not respond to the lawsuit filed by Chan, Carey’s registration was considered denied.

CHRISTMAS MONOPOLY

Dubbed the “Queen of Christmas” by The New Yorker magazine in 2018 for releasing original Christmas records for an entire decade, Chan criticized Carey for trying to obtain a “monopoly” on Christmas.

“No one should own anything about Christmas or monopolize it the way Mariah perpetually seeks,” Chan said in an interview with Variety magazine in August. “That’s not right. Christmas is for everyone. It should be shared. It shouldn’t be owned.”

Chan further stated that Carey was “trying to trademark every way possible”, from music, clothing and alcohol to “masks and dog collars. Everywhere”.

“If you knit a sweater that says ‘Queen of Christmas’, you can sell it in an online store,” said the singer. The registration in Carey’s name could open space for lawsuits against those who marketed products of the type.

The BBC has reached out to representatives for Mariah Carey to request comment on the case.

Another singer, Darlene Love, posted on Facebook that she was the “Queen of Christmas” before Mariah Carey rose to fame. Love is known for her Christmas classic “Christmas” (Baby Please Come Home) and covers of hits such as “Winter Wonderland” and “White Christmas”.

Carey, meanwhile, was being sued by a country music singer. Andy Stone – who performs under the name Vince Vance with the band Vince Vance and the Valiants – asked for US$ 20 million (about R$ 109 million) claiming that he had already released a song called “All I Want For Christmas Is You ” five years earlier.

He informed a court that he would drop the lawsuit, but legally he has the right to file a new lawsuit.

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