Mariah Carey sued for copyright over Christmas hit

Mariah Carey is being sued for copyright infringements some 18 years after she released her iconic Christmas hit “All I want for Christmas is you.”

According to LBC, the singer was notified that she is being sued for $20 million (€18 million) on June 4, by songwriter and musician Andy Stone.

The lawsuit names both Carey and her co-writer Walter Afansieff, with Stone claiming that they copied his music in writing the 1994 hit that has become one of the best known and top-selling Christmas hits of all time.

In legal documents filed at the US District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Stone claims he co-wrote another song with the same name, but with a different melody and lyrics, five years before.

The documents, seen by news agency PA, state that Carey and her collaborators “knowingly, willfully, and intentionally engaged in a campaign” to infringe Stone’s copyright. The papers continue stating that the pair had committed: “Acts of unjust enrichment by the unauthorised appropriation of plaintiff’s work and the goodwill associated therewith.”

Stone performs as Vince Vance with the country-pop band Vince Vance & the Valiants. In the documents filed he said the defendants illegally exploited his “popularity and unique style” and caused confusion by recording the newer song without his permission.

Maria Carey’s album Merry Christmas, on which the song appeared, became the best-selling US Christmas album of all time, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide.

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