Mariah Carey may be the ‘Queen of Christmas,’ but the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled against her attempt to trademark the title.
It was also ruled that Mariah can’t trademark the titles “Princess of Christmas” or “QOC” either.
via Page Six:
The decision means that the regal holiday monikers can be used by another singer, Elizabeth Chan, who says she’s “the world’s only full-time pop Christmas recording artist.”
Chan, who has put out 12 albums of Christmas music to date, has also used the title “Princess of Christmas” as a nickname for her daughter and sometimes collaborator, Noelle, 5.
Carey was attempting to trademark the Queen of Christmas title via her company, called Lotion LLC, to use on a line of merchandise that would include albums, fragrances, pet accessories, sunglasses and more.
But Chan filed an opposition in the case earlier this year. Other singers, such as “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” crooner Darlene Love, also objected to Carey’s move.
Attorney Louis Tompros of WilmerHale, which repped Chan, said in a statement: “This was a classic case of trademark bullying. We are pleased with the victory, and delighted that we were able to help Elizabeth fight back against Carey’s overreaching trademark registrations.”
Chan told Page Six through tears after the victory in the case: “I did this to protect and save Christmas. Christmas isn’t about one single person — it’s about everybody.”
She added that: “I’ve dedicated my life to this understanding of how special Christmas is. It was difficult to be the one to stand up” against Carey in the name of the holiday.
A rep for Carey did not immediately comment. The star, who’s known for her inescapable Christmas anthems, published a children’s Christmas book this year and has an upcoming holiday special.
Chan, who just released her latest album, “12 Months of Christmas,” further said in a statement of the victory: “Christmas is a season of giving, not the season of taking, and it is wrong for an individual to attempt to own and monopolize a nickname like Queen of Christmas for the purposes of abject materialism.”
She also said in a press release: “As an independent artist and small business owner, my life’s work is to bring people together for the holiday season, which is how I came to be called the Queen of Christmas. I wear that title as a badge of honor and with full knowledge that it will be — and should be — bestowed on others in the future. My goal in taking on this fight was to stand up to trademark bullying not just to protect myself, but also to protect future Queens of Christmas.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Patent and Trademark Office said Carey’s side didn’t respond to Chan’s opposition, and that Carey therefore wouldn’t get the trademark.
Page Six previously reported that Chan in 2016 accused Universal Studios in LA of being a Scrooge by playing two of her YouTube videos at its CityWalk shopping area without licensing them. The studio wound up dropping the videos.
Either way, another singer, Dolly Parton, recently said of Carey’s Christmas career, “I love her. You think of Christmas, you think of Mariah. I’m happy to be second in line to her.” Parton re-released her own Christmas album, “A Holly Dolly Christmas.”
Please — Mariah doesn’t need the trademark to be the Queen. She already is.
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