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While Mariah Carey may be known as the “Queen of Christmas” to fans, she has been shut down in her attempt to trademark the honorific title formally.
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), a faction of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, announced the decision on Tuesday, and they officially rejected Mariah’s attempt to gain the exclusive rights to titles like “Queen of Christmas,” “QOC,” and “Princess Christmas,” according to TMZ.
The “Honey” songstress initially filed for trademark back in March 2021. Once the public caught wind of this information during the summer of 2022, though, Mariah was met with firm pushback by Elizabeth Chan and Darlene Love—two women who create holiday music and have also been referred to as the “Queen of Christmas,” Variety reports.
“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,” Elizabeth declared during a sit-down with the outlet. “She’s trying to trademark this in every imaginable way—clothing, liquor products, masks, dog collars—it’s all over the map.”
She went as far as to challenge Mariah’s trademark request legally. Now, news has broken that the TTAB ultimately sided with Elizabeth in the case.
“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,” Elizabeth said of the news in a statement obtained by People. “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.”
While Elizabeth, who notably refers to herself as “Queen of Christmas” in her Instagram bio, successfully got her way in the matter, Mariah’s impact on the holiday season is nonetheless firmly cemented in pop culture.
During the yearly transition to mid-autumn, one can rest assured that they’ll peep a few “Mariah Carey defrosting” memes.
The singer herself got in on the fun this year, as she shared a video to commemorate her going straight from Halloween to holiday vibes.
Mariah Carey’s status as a X-mas icon comes from her rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The track was included on her 1994 Merry Christmas album, which contains a plethora of other holiday bops.
What are your thoughts on the situation, and do you consider Mariah Carey the “Queen of Christmas”?
