Mariah Carey is being sued by a country artist who alleges her song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” infringes upon his copyright of a song by the same name.
Songwriter Andy Stone wrote his version for his band Vince Vance & the Valiants in 1989 (Vance is Stone’s stage name/alter ego.). Stone filed legal proceedings against Carey and her “All I Want For Christmas Is You” co-writer Walter Afansieff in the U.S District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, as Deadline reports.
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In his lawsuit, Stone says his song got extensive airplay during the 1993 holiday season, noting that Carey’s version of the song debuted only one year later in 1994.
The songwriter is seeking $20 million US in damages, alleging that Carey and Afansieff “intentionally engaged in a campaign to infringe” his copyright on the work.
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Carey’s “All I Want” currently has one billion streams on Spotify alone and in 2021 became the first song to be a No. 1 hit three separate times on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.
Though the songs share the same title, Stone faces an uphill legal battle. The case will reportedly rest largely on whether the actual melody and lyrics bear a close resemblance.