Mariah Carey is looking to cash in on her holiday music success by trademarking the title “Queen of Christmas,” but singers Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan — who each have their own valid claim to the crown — are looking to prevent a monopoly on the term. After Carey’s March 2021 trademark claim was recently made public, Chan filed a formal declaration of opposition in court, and Love has hinted at doing the same.
Along with “Queen of Christmas,” Carey also filed for exclusive rights to “QOC,” “Princess of Christmas,” and “Christmas Princess.” Back in 2019, her classic song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 25 years after its release. Since then, it has become the first holiday song to reach one billion streams on Spotify.
Chan, who exclusively composes and performs Christmas music, was first dubbed the “Queen of Christmas” by All Access in 2014 and was profiled by the New Yorker four years later in an article simply titled “The Queen of Christmas.” However, the singer isn’t looking to legally stake claim to the moniker, but rather prevent Carey from solely holding it herself.
“Christmas has come way before any of us on earth, and hopefully will be around way after any of us on earth,” Chan told Variety. “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.”
She continued, “And it’s not just about the music business. 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.
Meanwhile, Darlene Love has been associated with Christmas for several decades. Her music has been a holiday staple since she sang multiple songs on 1963’s A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. From 1986 to 2014, she was recruited by David Letterman to sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on his late night show.
“Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked ‘Queen of Christmas’?” Love wrote on Facebook. “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!!”
At this time, Carey has yet to respond to Chan’s legal filing.