Mariah Carey is currently being sued for $20 million for her hit 1994 song, “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Andy Stone, a country singer from the band Vince Vance & the Valiants, filed a lawsuit against Carey for copyright infringement and misappropriation. The lawsuit was over a song he co-wrote five years prior to the Christmas classic that was also titled, “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Though there are no similarities in the songs, in the document, he alleges that Carey took advantage of his "popularity and unique style." Before the release of Carey's song, Stone claims that his song was trending and topping Billboard’s chart. He believes the American singer used the same title to exploit the popularity of his song, in order to leverage her own.
Carey's single has become a holiday classic internationally, consistently placing into the Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. The 53-year-old songwriter also insists that the titles of the songs confused listeners, who upon choosing a song to play, could not differentiate the two.
Despite it being 25 years after Carey's song was released, Stone argues Carey never sought permission to use the same title for her song. In the lawsuit, he states he is entitled to $20 million in compensatory damages. Carey and her team have not yet commented on the lawsuit.
