Mariah Carey’s application to trademark the phrase “Queen of Christmas” has been denied.
The US Patent and Trademark Office ruled on Tuesday the 'All I Want for Christmas is You' singer would not be granted permission to trademark the phrase “Queen of Christmas”.
Carey’s company Lotion LLC filed a request to trademark the phrase last year, seeking to add the phrase to merchandise including albums, perfume, and dog leashes, according to court documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal.
In August this year, musician Elizabeth Chan filed an opposition to the request, saying she uses the phrase. Chan released a 2021 Christmas album titled The Queen of Christmas.
The opposing musician insisted she had recorded Christmas music for over a decade and worried Carey would sue her for the phrase’s use if Lotion LLC was granted the trademark.
The Patent and Trademark Office reported in their Tuesday ruling Carey’s company had failed to respond to the opposition, and thus the singer would not be granted the trademark.
They also denied requests to trademark the acronym “QOC” and the alternative phrase “Princess of Christmas”.
In a statement to WSJ made after the decision, Chan declared, “I’m so happy… It’s my life’s work.”
Chan’s lawyer, Louis Tompros, added, “It’s the right decision… If Mariah’s team had any answer to the opposition that we made, they would have made it, but the fact of the matter is, she’s not entitled to a trademark on Queen of Christmas.”
Chan released her 12th Christmas album this year, titled 12 Months of Christmas.
