Mariah Carey’s “Queen of Christmas” trademark bid criticised by singers

Mariah Carey’s application to trademark the title “Queen of Christmas” has been criticised by two festive singers.

Carey, whose 1994 classic ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ has earned her the unofficial title of “Queen of Christmas” from fans, filed an application to trademark the phrase in March 2021.

The application was made public on 12 July, in which she requested to secure exclusive usage of the title along with “QOC”, “Princess of Christmas” and “Christmas Princess”.

Now, festive singers Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan have criticised Carey, with the latter going to court this week in an attempt to prevent claiming the title, according to Variety.

Love sang several songs on 1963’s A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, including the classic ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’, while Chan exclusively releases Christmas music every year, and even has an album called Queen of Christmas.

Chan’s attorney filed a formal declaration of opposition to Carey’s claim last week (12 August), with Love also speaking out earlier this week.

“Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked ‘Queen of Christmas’?” Love wrote. “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. 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!!”

In a statement to Variety, Chan said: “Christmas has come way before any of us on earth, and hopefully will be around way after any of us on earth.

“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,” she 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.”

Carey has not yet responded to Chan’s legal filing.

In 2020, Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ reached Number One for the first time ever.