Mariah Carey wins copyright lawsuit

Mariah Carey receives the iHeartRadio Icon Award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, U.S. —REUTERS

Pop singer Mariah Carey defeated a lawsuit claiming she illegally copied elements of her holiday megahit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” from a country song of the same name.

US district judge Monica Almadani in Los Angeles in a ruling on Wednesday said the writers of Vince Vance and the Valiants’ “All I Want for Christmas Is You” failed to show their song was objectively similar enough to Carey’s to support their copyright infringement case.

Lawyers for the songwriters, lawyers for Carey and spokespeople for her label, Sony Music, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Vince Vance and the Valiants’ “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was released in 1989 and reached the Billboard country charts during holiday seasons in the 1990s.

Carey’s song appeared on her 1994 album “Merry Christmas” and has since become a popular standard, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart every holiday season since 2019.

Andy Stone, who performs as Vince Vance, and cowriter Troy Powers filed the lawsuit in 2023. They said Carey’s song copied their song’s “extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury,” requesting at least $20 million in damages.

Reuters

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