Mariah Carey’s Iconic Song Faces Legal Trouble, The Result Will Leave You Stunned! -

Mariah Carey has successfully defended herself against allegations of copyright infringement in a case over her 1994 holiday classic, All I Want for Christmas Is You. The lawsuit, filed by Adam Stone, the performer behind Vince Vance & The Valiants, accused Carey of copying his 1989 song of the same name. Stone sought at least $20 million in damages, claiming that Carey exploited his “popularity” and “style.” However, a US judge ruled in favor of Mariah Carey, dismissing the allegations and ordering Stone to repay her legal expenses.

The Allegations and Legal Battle

In November 2023, Stone filed the suit in Los Angeles federal court, asserting that All I Want for Christmas Is You copied significant parts of his 1989 track. Stone’s lawyer argued that the two songs shared around 50% of their lyrics, which he believed was a strong claim for copyright infringement. However, Mariah Carey’s legal team quickly countered, arguing that the similarities were based on common “Christmas song clichés” used in multiple songs before both tracks, which are unprotected by copyright law.

Judge’s Ruling and Stone’s Rejection of Carey’s Story

Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani, who reviewed the case, dismissed the allegations, citing a lack of substantial melodic similarities between the two tracks. In her ruling, Almadani said the shared elements were part of a wider tradition of Christmas-themed songs and ordered Stone to cover Mariah Carey’s legal fees. Additionally, the judge pointed to expert testimony from musicologists, including NYU professor Lawrence Ferrara, who stated there were “no significant melodic similarities” between the two songs. Ferrara also mentioned that 19 other songs with similar lyrics had been released before Stone’s track, some even titled All I Want for Christmas Is You.

Stone had disputed Mariah Carey’s account of the song’s creation, where she famously revealed in her memoir that she wrote the song on a Casio keyboard while watching It’s A Wonderful Life. Despite his rejection of this origin story, it seems that the court was convinced that the song’s success was the result of original work and not plagiarism.

The Impact of All I Want for Christmas Is You

Carey’s holiday anthem has become a massive success, earning an estimated $8.5 million annually. In 2019, All I Want for Christmas Is You reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time 25 years after its release and has returned to the top spot every holiday season since. The song holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 for a Christmas song, with 16 weeks in total, and is one of the best-selling holiday songs ever. Additionally, it became the first Christmas song to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify.