Lisa Mugo
Mariah Carey, is officially not the queen of Christmas, as the US Patent and Trademark office has denied her request to trademark the moniker Queen of Christmas’ after she failed to respond to another singer’s opposition.
Mariah, who is known as the ‘Queen of Christmas’ thanks to her 1994 hit song, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ which is still a fan favorite song year after year around the holiday season. It even hit a peak coming in at number one in the 2020 UK charts.
The patent would have given Mariah the right to stop anyone from using the title on products and music. Mariah filed the patent last year but was met with a challenge in August this year as fellow singer Elizabeth Chan, went to court to stop Mariah from obtaining the legal title.
Chan, who was also branded as the ‘Queen of Christmas’ in 2018 by The New Yorker felt that Mariah was trying to monetize Christmas.
“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,” said Chan.
“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.”
Mariah failed to respond to Chan’s claims hence why she was unable to obtain the patent. This also means that manufacturers and people around the world are free to use the title without fear of legal action being taken against them.
