Axehole

It’s WTF Friday - and you know what that means….we’ve got some f’d-up music news!

Every Friday (except the ones we miss) we look for the strangest music story of the week. We’ve told you about people that want to ban Christmas music, probed a Porn-Soaked Carnal Exploration Of After-Hours Dance Culture, and even brought you the Passion of the Jesus Guitar.

This week we’ve got something a little more serious to look at - the legal battle between pop singer Mariah Carey and porn star-turned politician Mary Carey, right.

Mariah Carey is trying to keep the adult film star from trademarking her similar-sounding stage name. Mariah is concerned that fans might confuse her with a porn star.

The adult film actress, whose real name is Mary Cook, says she will not be intimidated by the international superstar and will press forward with her trademark application.

“I’m ready to battle Mariah over this because I’ve been Mary Carey for a long time,” she said. “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.”

The star of films such Lesbian Big Boob Bangaroo 2, Boobsville Sorority Girls and Tit Happens started using the stage name Mary Carey in 2002. She filed the trademark papers earlier this year.

Mary Carey is also known for running for California governor against Arnold Schwarzenegger. Her platform advocated legalizing same-sex marriages; taxing breast implants; making lap-dances tax deductible; and a Porn for Pistols anti-handgun measure.

In October, a lawyer for Mariah Carey sent Mary Carey’s representatives a letter 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.

David Beitchman, a lawyer for Mary Carey, said he believed Mariah Carey stood little 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, whose film career highlights include Glitter, had a major comeback with last year’s The Emancipation of Mimi, the best-selling pop album of 2005.
via The Sydney Morning Herald