Pop superstar Mariah Carey is being sued for alleged copyright infringement over her hugely successful single All I Want for Christmas Is You, almost 30 years since it hit the airwaves.
The song was released on November 1, 1994, and is one of the tracks on Carey's Merry Christmas album. Since then, it became a go-to song during the Holiday Season. The album became the all-time best-selling Christmas album in the United States and it sold 15 million copies worldwide.
The 53-year-old American singer is named in a complaint filed by songwriter Andy Stone, who claims that Carey and her collaborators "knowingly, willfully, and intentionally engaged in a campaign" to infringe on Stone's copyright for the song, per The Guardian.
Stone alleges that he co-wrote a song with the same name and did not give permission for it to be used, according to legal filings filed in the US district court for the eastern district of Louisiana.
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Andy Stone co-wrote "All I Want For Christmas" for pop group Vince Vance & the Valiants. The song was released in 1989.
However, aside from the title, the two songs have no similarities in lyrics and melodies.
A document obtained by New York Post stated: "Plaintiff [Stone] personally requested that Defendants [Carey and Afanasieff] cease and desist from further distribution of Plaintiff's work," the suit reads in part. "Despite Plaintiff's request, Defendants continue to exploit Plaintiff's work 'All I Want for Christmas is You,' reaping tremendous financial awards and other pecuniary benefits to the detriment of Plaintiff."
It also indicated that Carey and Afanasieff "knowingly, willfully and intentionally engaged in a campaign to infringe [Stone's] copyright in the work ... to the commercial gain, personal profit and unjust enrichment of the defendants and the irreparable injury and financial loss" of Andy Stone.
Stone's attorneys originally contacted Carey and her co-defendants last year, but they were "unable to come to any deal." The company also claims that the moniker "All I Want for Christmas Is You" has 177 entries with the United States Copyright Office.
As of this writing, Carey's legal counsel has not yet responded to the allegations.
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Carey's song has topped the charts in various countries and earned the artist more than $60 million in royalties since its release. Her hit Christmas song has been streamed 1 billion times on Spotify.
In her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, published in 2020, the pop superstar recalled how she wrote All I Want For Christmas Is You, which she disclosed that it was originally not inspired by Christmas.
She stated in the book: "I actually did bang out most of the song on a cheap little Casio keyboard. But it's the feeling I wanted the song to capture. There's a sweetness, a clarity, and a purity to it."
Carey has produced multiple renditions of the Christmas classic, as well as music videos. According to Hola!, she even filmed a music video with Justin Bieber in 2011 that has received 213.7 million views.
Stone is a self-employed musician who earns his living by performing, selling, and licensing his copyrighted music, according to the lawsuit.
