It appears that things aren’t as jolly as they should be ahead of the holiday season. A holiday-related dispute at the end of summer? Yes, and it pertains to three popular Christmas singers. The latest disagreement has to do with Mariah Carey’s pursuit of trademarking the words “Queen of Christmas.” However, American singer and actress Darlene Love and Christmas music songwriter Elizabeth Chan disagree with Carey’s attempt to cash in from the exclusive alias.
“Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked ‘Queen of Christmas’? What does that mean that I can’t use that title?” Love wrote about the trademark news on Facebook. “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!!”
On the other hand, Chan is also taking a stand on the potential trademark. According to Variety, her attorney filed a declaration of opposition to stop it. “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,” Chan told Variety.
“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.”
For those who don’t know Love or Chan, both artists have been involved in the Christmas side of the music industry business for years now. According to Variety, among other accomplishments, Love was known for singing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on Late Show with David Letterman annually from 1986 to 2014. Chan only writes Christmas-themed music since 2011 and even has an album titled The Queen of Christmas.
Carey has yet to comment or respond to the artists’ concerns.