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Court Sides with Mariah Carey in Dispute over ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’

BBG News

In the realm of legal decisions concerning holiday classics, I’ve learned that a federal judge in LA recently confirmed my own creative instincts when penning “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The ruling stated that there’s no evidence to suggest I unintentionally borrowed from other songwriters.

On Wednesday, Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani ruled in favor of Carey’s motion for summary judgment, meaning that she and fellow writer and co-defendant Walter Afanasieff won their case without the need for a trial.

In 2023, musicians Andy Stone (also known as Vince Vance) from Louisiana and Troy Powers from Tennessee lodged a $20 million lawsuit claiming that Whitney Carey’s 1994 song, which has grown to be a beloved holiday anthem and yearly streaming hit, copied the copyright of their 1989 song with the same title.

Their lawyer Gerard P. Fox said he’s “disappointed” in an email to The Associated Press.

In simpler terms, Fox explained that judges at this level frequently throw out music copyright cases. If they do so in this instance, a decision will be made about appealing the ruling to bring the case before a jury. Two well-respected musicologists, who teach at prominent universities, provided their opinions on the matter when we filed the case.

Stone and Powers’ lawsuit argues that the song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has a distinctive language pattern. In this song, a person who is tired of costly presents and holiday traditions expresses a desire to be with their beloved one instead. Consequently, they write a letter to Santa Claus asking for this specific wish.

It was strongly suggested that Carey and Afanasieff may have listened to their song, which climbed as high as the 31st spot on Billboard’s Hot Country chart, and unintentionally copied substantial parts of it, potentially violating its copyright.

Following discussions with two experts on each side, Ramírez Almadani sided with those representing the defense. They argued that the writers utilized conventional Christmas tropes that were present before both songs, and Carey’s song used them in a unique way. She stated that the plaintiffs had not successfully demonstrated that the songs were significantly similar in their argument.

Ramírez Almadani additionally imposed penalties on the defendants and their legal representatives, stating that their lawsuit and subsequent submissions lacked merit and that the lawyers for the defendants failed to make a reasonable attempt to verify that the facts they presented had supporting evidence.

She said they must pay at least part of the defendants’ attorney fees.

Defense attorneys and publicists for Carey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In more recent times, Carey’s Christmas anthem has gained even more popularity than it did in the 90s. For the last six consecutive years, it has climbed to the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, which ranks the most popular songs each week by considering airplay, sales, and streaming – not just holiday-related songs.

Carey and Afanasieff found themselves in a dispute, albeit one that didn’t lead to a legal battle, concerning the credit for writing parts of their shared song. However, this disagreement, despite its nature, briefly united them as temporary partners.

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2025-03-21 01:07

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