Mariah Carey Sued (Again) for Holiday Jingle “All I Want for Christmas is You”

Every year, around December, one name comes to mind: Mariah Carey, thanks to her hit song “All I want for Christmas is You”. But this Christmas, Carey faces a renewed lawsuit for copyright infringement, as reported by Billboard. 

The complaint was filed by Andy Stone and Troy Powers, who were the singer-songwriters for a song with the same name, released five years before Carey’s hit. The complaint alleges that Carey’s holiday anthem copies their song’s “compositional structure of an extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury”, as well as its musical elements.

Andy Stone, who goes by the name Vince Vance, initially sued Mariah Carey in June of 2022, causing one member of the Goodmans IP Team to post a special weekend update to express his (overwhelming) concerns. That lawsuit was dropped in November of 2022, without prejudice. 

The most recent lawsuit seems to replicate the claims made in the initial complaint, but this time in a different jurisdiction. The new version of the lawsuit also includes greater details about the success of Stone’s version of the jingle and more detailed allegations about the similarities between the two songs. Stone and Powers are seeking $20 million in damages, to account for the revenue Carey’s song has generated over the last 28 years. 

Stone is reportedly represented by Gerald P. Fox, the same lawyer who represented the songwriters who accused Taylor Swift of stealing the lyrics to “Shake It Off”. However, the lawsuit against Taylor Swift was dropped, albeit with prejudice, precluding the possibility of it being refiled.