LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Mariah Carey has won a lawsuit that accused her hit song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” of infringing the copyright of another song with the same title.
The lawsuit was filed in November 2023 by songwriter Andy Stone, known for his work as Vince Vance and the Valiants, along with co-writer Troy Powers. They alleged that Carey’s 1994 holiday classic copied their 1989 song, also titled “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Their song, they claimed, became a hit after receiving heavy airplay during the 1993 holiday season.
The complaint, which also named Sony Music Entertainment, argued that Carey’s song mirrored the “compositional structure of an extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury” and used several of Stone’s lyrical phrases. The plaintiffs sought at least $20 million in damages.
On March 19, Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani of the US District Court for the Central District of California ruled favor of Carey. She dismissed the expert testimony that Stone and Powers presented while accepting the experts’ findings brought in by Carey and the defendants.
Dr. Lawrence Ferrara, a musicologist and professor at New York University, testified for the defense, stating that despite the songs sharing a title, their lyrical similarities were minimal, arranged differently, and consisted of common phrases not eligible for copyright protection. Ferrara also noted that the core idea of both songs—the desire for a person over material gifts for Christmas—is a common theme in holiday music.
Ferrara found at least 19 songs predating the 1989 version by Stone and Powers that contained the same or a similar lyrical concept as “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” further undermining the plaintiffs’ claims.
Judge Ramirez Almadani also criticized the reports provided by Stone and Powers’ experts, stating that they failed to provide a full analysis or explain the methodology behind their findings.
Additionally, the judge granted Carey’s request for sanctions against the plaintiffs’ legal team. The court ruled that the attorneys had violated a prior order limiting the case to the extrinsic comparison of the songs, instead introducing irrelevant arguments about copyright ownership and access in their filings.
As a result, Stone and Powers were ordered to pay “some or all” of Carey’s legal expenses related to their failed motion for summary judgment. The defendants’ legal team has 14 days to submit an estimate of the costs involved.
