Perhaps the one thing Mariah Carey wants most this Christmas is for the $20 million copyright lawsuit against her to go away. In legal documents, the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer is being sued by singer Andy Stone over her 1994 hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Source: MEGACarey reportedly earns $3 million annually for her holiday hit ‘All I Want For Christmas is You.’
Stone, whose stage name is Vince Vance, dropped the lawsuit in November 2022, but it appears he’s had a change of heart as Mariah’s season inches upon us.
Stone and his co-writer Troy Powers once again sued Carey, 54, Walter Afanasieff, and Sony Music Entertainment on Monday in Los Angeles court, claiming that her holiday track is uncomfortably similar to their song, which got “extensive airplay” on the radio during the 1993 Christmas season, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Source: MEGA
“Melody, lyrics, feel, when you combine these three elements and base your derivative copy on something that is more alike than dislike, it is those substantial similarities that will upon closer inspection reveal the truth of Plaintiffs’ claim of infringement,” the documents obtained by this outlet read.
“Carey has, without licensing, palmed off these works with her incredulous origin story, as if those works were her own. Her hubris knowing no bounds, even her co-credited songwriter doesn’t believe the story she has spun. This is simply a case of actionable infringement,” Stone and Powers claimed.
Source: MEGA
The pair wants $20 million in damages. They alleged that in April 2021, Stone’s lawyers contacted the defendants, including Carey, to confront them over the “unauthorized” use of the song but were unable to “come to an agreement.”
Stone then sent a cease and desist to the We Belong Together singer, which he said did nothing because Carey continues to allegedly “exploit” his work every holiday season.
During his original filing, the self-employed artist argued that his and Carey’s tracks contain “substantial similarities” and “tell the same story, incorporating the same arc from beginning to end, of an individual who wants their partner more than material goods or seasonal comforts.”
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Stone’s song was released in 1989, five years before Carey dropped All I Want for Christmas Is You. After the megastar released her song, it repeatedly topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Carey’s tune is also the only Christmas song to be certified Diamond by the RIAA for more than 10 million copies sold. The royalties from Carey’s version were estimated to be at $60 million in 2016, according to The Economist.
