Beijing -- American pop singing star Mariah Carey is worried fans could
confuse her with American porn star Mary Carey and filed suit Friday in Los
Angeles to prevent the star of movies such as "Double Air Bags 11" and
"Boobsville Sorority Girls" from trademarking her similar-sounding stage name.
 Mariah Carey (R) and
Mary Carey (L). [File Photo]
 |
The adult film actress, whose real name is Mary Cook, said Friday she would
not be intimidated by the international superstar and will continue her
trademark application.
She began using the stage name Mary Carey in 2002 and ran for California
governor against Arnold Schwarzenegger. She filed the trademark papers earlier
this year.
"I'm ready to battle Mariah over this because I've been Mary Carey for a long
time," Mary Carey told Reuters. "It's kind of funny because I'm a porn star and
I've been being myself for a long time. I think she's being silly."
A lawyer for Mariah Carey sent Mary Carey's representatives a letter in
October threatening legal action if she did not withdraw the application.
"MARY CAREY and MARIAH CAREY share the identical surname and have first names
that are very similar," attorney Robert Becker wrote.
And in part because the porn star was seeking the trademark for audio and
video recordings, he said, "Confusion between your client and her MARY CAREY
trademark and our client and its MARIAH CAREY trademark is therefore likely."
Becker also demanded that Mary Carey use her name only for "adult
entertainment" and that she not sing or perform music.
"This is a technical procedure to stop a trademark registration. Mariah Carey
has no affiliation with Mary Carey," said Mariah Carey's spokeswoman, Leslie
Sloane-Zelnik.
David Beitchman, a lawyer for Mary Carey, said he thought Mariah Carey
doesn't have much chance of winning.
"My first thought was, does Mariah Carey realize what her lawyer is comparing
her to and are they seriously concerned?" Beitchman said. "Do they seriously
think the fans are going to be confused?"
Mariah Carey, who suffered a brief career slump after
dominating the pop charts during the 1990s, had a major comeback with last
year's "The Emancipation of Mimi," the best-selling pop album of 2005. She won a
Grammy for the single "We Belong Together."