- Mariah Carey has applied for Trade Mark to be Queen of Christmas
- Objection has been filed by another singer who exclusively writes Christmas music
- Mariah Carey also faces copyright claim over All I Want for Christmas Is You
As Mariah Carey and Meghan Markle decide who should rightly be called a “diva”, the fight for the Queen of Christmas’ throne rages on.
Mariah Carey is a record breaking songwriter, actress, record producer and singer with a five octave vocal range. Mariah Carey’s 1994 album, Merry Christmas, is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time. The album includes the hit All I Want for Christmas is You, which reached number 1 in the UK charts for the first time in 2020,having spent a record 69 weeks in the top 40. By 2017 the song had reportedly earned Mariah Carey more than $60m (£48m) in royalties and has been streamed over one billion times on Spotify.
Mariah has been dubbed “Songbird Supreme” by Guinness World Records and has no fewer than 3 world records for All I Want for Christmas Is You ie highest-charting holiday (Christmas/New Year) song on the U.S. Hot 100 chart by a solo artist, most-streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours (female) and most weeks in the U.K. singles top 10 chart for a
Christmas song.
Mariah’s quest for a trade mark for the words ‘Queen of Christmas’ has, however, been challenged. An objection has been filed by 42 year old Elizabeth Chan who exclusively writes and performs Christmas music. The New York based artist has released a Christmas album every year since 2011.
The season is her reason for making music!
Elizabeth Chan points out that “Christmas is for everyone. It’s meant to be shared; it’s not meant to be owned.” Elizabeth Chan is not the only contender for the throne.
Darlene Love, 81, claims that she was the Queen of Christmas even before Mariah Carey was born. Darlene Love recorded the song Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) in 1963, 7 years before Mariah Carey entered the world in Long Island New York on 27th March 1970. The song was written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Phil Spector and featured in the 1963
seasonal compilation album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.
Darlene Love claims “David Letterman officially declared me the Queen of Christmas 29 years ago” in 1993 – a year before Mariah released All I want For Christmas Is You.
She added: “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!”
Darlene went on to point out that if Mariah Carey had a problem she should “call David or my lawyer”. Where there’s a hit there’s a writ! That is not the end of Mariah’s Intellectual Property problems.
Mariah is also being sued for copyright infringement by songwriter Andy Stone who claims he co-wrote a song with the same name “All I want For Christmas Is You” five years before Mariah and that Mariah exploited his “popularity” and “style”.
Andy Stone, who performs as Vince Vance with the band Vince Vance and the Valiants, is claiming at least $20m (c £17m) in damages. Andy Stone is claiming that Mariah Carey, as well as her co-writer Walter Afanasieff and record label Sony Music Entertainment, “knowingly, wilfully, and intentionally engaged in a campaign” to infringe copyright and have earned “undeserved profits” from the song.
The United States Copyright Office lists 177 entries on its website under the title All I Want for Christmas is You.
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