Mariah Carey sings out over porn star confusion
Something about Mary has clearly upset the US songbird Mariah Carey. The singer has taken action in the US Patent and Trademark Office to prevent a US porn star, Mary Carey, from trademarking her stage name. Such self-publicising celebrity catfights may be of little import in the grand scheme of things, especially in a week that saw the deaths of former US president Gerald Ford and Godfather of Soul James Brown.
The work of Carey, the actress, may not be well known but some may recognise her as the former Californian gubernatorial candidate whose political skills were impressive enough to attract 11,000 votes in the 2003 election won by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The singer argues that the porn star's bid to trademark her name is likely to confuse poor, addled consumers. The public, Mariah Carey contends, is "likely to mistakenly associate the goods offered" by Mary Carey - whose real name is Mary Cook - with the singer's "goods and services".
The world may not Carey much whether Mary or Mariah prevails but there are worrying ramifications for songwriting should the singer succeed in stripping the porn star of her trademark. In future, Jimi Hendrix CDs will feature the song The Wind Cries Mariah while the big production number from the musical Paint Your Wagon will be retooled as They Call the Wind Mary. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
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