(Scypre.com) – Musician Andy Stone filed a $20 million lawsuit against Mariah Carey in a California court on Monday, claiming that her widely popular holiday song, “All I Want For Christmas is You,” violated his copyright. Stone, who serves as the lead vocalist for Vince Vance and the Valiants, asserted that Carey and her team copied the “compositional structure” of his 1989 song of the same title.
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Stone alleged that Carey “directly” copied lyrics from his 1989 hit, with “approximately 50%” of her song constituting copyright infringement. Stone argued that Carey and her team had “undoubtedly” been exposed to his version of “All I Want For Christmas is You” due to its “wide commercial and cultural success.” Stone’s song had a sustained presence on the Billboard charts, and his band performed it at the White House in 1994, the same year Carey released her rendition.
Stone’s complaint accused Carey of capitalizing on the success of her allegedly infringing work, stating, “‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ has become a ubiquitous part of popular culture, and Carey’s name has become synonymous with the season.” As of the report, Carey’s representative had not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
This legal action marked Stone’s second attempt to sue Carey, as he initially filed a lawsuit in June 2022 in a Louisiana court, only to withdraw the claim five months later, as reported by People magazine. Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit has been a holiday favorite since its 1994 release, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and selling over 10 million copies.
Carey has actively embraced the success of “All I Want For Christmas is You,” teasing the Christmas season on social media. The accompanying video for this year’s announcement has garnered over 70 million views and 2 million likes on Instagram. In a previous interview with W Magazine, Carey shared the origins of the song, explaining how the idea for a Christmas album came from her record company early in her career. She aimed for a timeless feel, steering clear of era-specific sounds. Reflecting on the song’s impact, Carey expressed, “I could never have imagined that it would become such a major part of my life.”