All I Want for Christmas is You, Mariah Carey’s 1994 Christmas mega-hit, is being sued for copyright infringement.
Andy Stone, a songwriter, claims he co-wrote a song with the same name five years ago, claiming that Ms. Carey took advantage of his “popularity” and “style.”
Even though the two songs have the same title, they are musically distinct, according to Mr. Stone, who argues Ms. Carey caused confusion by not asking for permission. Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You is one of the most well-known Christmas singles of all time and is a must-have on any Christmas playlist.
Mariah Carey Being Sued By Andy Stone
Since its debut on the album Merry Christmas in 1994, it has topped the charts in several countries, allegedly earning Ms. Carey more than $60 million (£48 million) in royalties by 2017. On Spotify, the song has been listened to one billion times.
Mariah Carey confessed in a recent biography that she wrote “the majority of the song on a cheap little Casio piano.” Mr. Stone, who performs with the group Vince Vance and the Valiants under the name Vince Vance, is seeking at least $20 million (£16 million) in damages.
Mariah Carey, her co-writer Walter Afanasieff, and Sony Music Entertainment, according to the lawsuit, have reaped “undeserved benefits” from the song, claiming that the defendants “knowingly, willfully, and purposefully participated in a campaign” to breach copyright. Mr. Stone claims that he never gave his permission for his music to be used for anything, including “creating a derivative work.”
It’s unclear why, 28 years after Ms. Carey’s song was published, a legal challenge has just now been filed.
Mr. Stone’s lawyers approached Ms. Carey and her co-defendants last year, according to the lawsuit, but they were “unable to come to any resolution.”
Different songs with the same name are not uncommon, and the United States Copyright Office includes 177 works with the title All I Want for Christmas is You on its website.
