(DailyDig.com) – There are less than two months until Christmas, and pop singer Mariah Carey is being sued for allegedly plagiarizing a 1989 song titled “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which has the same title as her 1994 single, which, in 2021, was declared a Diamond-selling record.
Plaintiffs Troy Powers and Andy Stone co-wrote the original song. Stone was a member of the country band “Vince Vance and the Valiants” and uses the stage name Vance.
The lawsuit states that “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Carey is infringing copyright since it has a similar tune and structure. The compositional framework of the plaintiffs’ lengthy analogy of Christmas opulence and a love interest was ripped off, they claim. Many of the plaintiffs’ lyrics are also included, as well as the precise wording “I don’t need…” gifts, “underneath the Christmas tree,” and other lyrical phrases.
Powers and Stone claim that the copyrighted words in Carey’s song make up around half of the song overall and that the parallels in the song’s melody and chord sequence make the infringement even more egregious. Carey has benefited enormously from the alleged infringement of copyright.
Throughout the years, “All I Want for Christmas is You” and Carey’s name have grown inseparable from the holiday season. Due in large part to the popularity of this song, Carey has established what has been called a mini-empire for the holiday season.
The case claims Powers and Stone’s 1994 single was somewhat successful. It debuted on the Hot Country list and eventually made its way to the “Hot 100 Airplay chart” in 2002. In the spring of 1994, Stone, in character as Vance, sang in the White House. Kelly Clarkson, the presenter of a talk show and a pop-country singer, licensed it for a Christmas album in 2021. However, the plaintiffs argue that they should share in the massive financial bonanza that their song performed by Carey has generated.
The case also names record labels Universal Music and Sony Music and co-writer Walter Afanasieff as defendants.
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