Mariah Carey is not the only Queen of Christmas — at least not according to the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
According to a Tuesday press release, the board has ruled against the pop star, 52, after she applied for exclusive rights to the phrases “Queen of Christmas,” “Princess Christmas” and “QOC.”
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives of Carey for comment.
The release was provided by a representative for Elizabeth Chan, a full-time Christmas and holiday music recording artist who engaged in a months-long legal battle to block Carey’s trademark attempt.
“This was a classic case of trademark bullying,” Chan’s attorney Louis Tompros said in a statement. “We are pleased with the victory, and delighted that we were able to help Elizabeth fight back against Carey’s overreaching trademark registrations.”
Chan added in a statement: “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.”
Carey’s fans have colloquially referred to her as the queen of Christmas due to the annual resurgence in popularity of her 1994 holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
But Chan, who focuses exclusively on producing Christmas and holiday music, says Carey isn’t the only queen of Christmas.
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“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,” she continued. “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.”
If Carey’s trademark filing had prevailed, the singer could have had grounds to ask radio stations and media outlets to cease and desist from dubbing anyone else the “Queen of Christmas,” the release says. The release adds she also could have sued anyone who so much as sold a hand-knitted “Queen of Christmas” sweater on Etsy.
Chan filed her formal opposition to Carey’s trademark application in August. She has released 12 albums of Christmas and holiday music.
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