There's no question that Mariah Carey's biggest hit is a festive one - but how far can you take a Christmas hit?
If you're Carey, the answer is 'very far': the pop diva has made a move to trademark the phrase 'Queen of Christmas' because of the continued success of her 1994 hit 'All I Want for Christmas is You'.
It's a brazen move, for sure - and not everyone is too happy about it.
Two other singers in particular who have been associated with the same phrase in the past have voiced their opposition to Carey's legal move: Darlene Love, who famously contributed several songs to perhaps THE most famous Christmas album, Phil Spector's 'A Christmas Gift for You', and Elizabeth Chan, a singer who releases only Christmas music and even released an album called 'Queen of Christmas'.
Chan has filed a formal declaration of opposition to Carey's trademark bid, which brought the whole kerfuffle to Darlene Love's attention - and now she's threatening to similarly oppose the move.
"Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked ‘Queen of Christmas’?” wrote Love 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."
She added: "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!!"
Meanwhile, Chan elaborated on her court filing to Variety. "Christmas has come way before any of us on earth, and hopefully will be around way after any of us on earth," she said. "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.
“And it’s not just about the music business,” she continued. “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."
Carey, meanwhile, has not publicly responded to either Chan or Love's comments.