Mariah Carey shared a video of herself getting ‘defrosted’ on Wednesday (November 1) to commemorate the start of the holiday season, which was accompanied with her holiday megahit All I Want for Christmas Is You.
The song, which was released in 1994, has become an omnipresent auditory staple of the holidays every year since then, with over 1.47 billion streams on Spotify alone.
The song is now the subject of a fresh legal battle, with Carey being sued by a musician named Andy Stone for allegedly stealing aspects of his song of the same name.
Stone, who plays as Vince Vance and the Valiants, has sued Carey twice for allegedly stealing his song, which was released in 1989.
Stone’s first case was filed in June 2022, but it was dismissed in November of the same year.
Stone and co-writer and plaintiff Troy Powers, together with producer Walter Afanasieff and Sony Music Entertainment, are named as defendants in the latest complaint, which was filed in a California court on Wednesday (November 1).
READ MORE: Nick Cannon Revealed Mariah Carey Taught Him Only To Accept Jobs With A Hefty Check
According to Stone’s complaint, the Vince Vance version of All I Want for Christmas Is You “became a country music hit” after receiving “extensive seasonal airplay in 1993.”
Vince Vance’s All I Want for Christmas Is You “returned seasonally to Billboard’s Hot Country chart five more times throughout the 1990s, peaking at No. 31.”
According to the lawsuit, Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You, published in 1994 as part of her seasonal Merry Christmas album, allegedly replicates the “compositional structure of an extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury” from Stone’s song.
According to the complaint, Carey’s hit “includes several of [Stone’s] lyrical phrases.”
“Beyond the lyrical hook ‘[a]ll I want for Christmas is you,’ Defendants directly copy and include the exact lyrics ‘I don’t need…’presents ‘underneath the Christmas tree,'” the lawsuit states.
The text goes on to say: “Instead, like Plaintiffs’ original work, Carey implores Santa to ‘bring me the one thing I really need,’ an unnamed ‘you,’ to make their ‘wish come true’.”
The “infringed copyrighted lyrics account for approximately 50%” of Mariah Carey’s version of All I Want for Christmas Is You, according to Stone and his co-plaintiff, and “the chord progression and melodic similarities push this percentage of infringement even higher.”
In the case, Stone and co-writer Powers assert that Mariah Carey and others “undoubtedly had access” to their song “prior to writing and releasing” All I Want For Christmas Is You “given its widespread commercial and cultural success.”
“Carey has capitalized on the success of her infringing work,” the claim continues. All I Want for Christmas Is You has become ingrained in popular culture, and Carey’s name has come to be associated with the holiday season.
“Indeed, the glow of success from this single song has revitalized Defendant Carey’s career, as she headlines concerts and events all year.” All I want for Christmas is for you to have aided Mariah Carey’s career and increased her earnings from performance requests.”
Stone and Powers are seeking at least $20 million in monetary damages.
Download The Radiant App To Start Watching!
Web: Watch Now
LGTV™: Download
ROKU™: Download
XBox™: Download
Samsung TV™: Download
Amazon Fire TV™: Download
Android TV™: Download