A federal judge has ruled in favor of Mariah Carey in a copyright lawsuit that alleged her holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” infringed upon an earlier song of the same name.
The lawsuit, brought by songwriters Andy Stone and Troy Powers, was dismissed after the court found insufficient similarity between Carey’s 1994 classic and the 1989 song recorded by Vince Vance & the Valiants.
Court Ruling and Legal Analysis
U.S. District Judge Monica Ramírez Almadani granted Carey’s motion to dismiss, concluding that the similarities cited in the lawsuit were “commonplace Christmas song clichés” rather than protectable original elements.
The ruling relied in part on expert testimony from a musicologist, who determined that the phrases and musical elements in both songs were widely used in holiday compositions.
The court further ruled that Stone and Powers failed to meet the “extrinsic test,” which evaluates whether two works share substantial similarities in protected expression.
Judge Almadani criticized the plaintiffs’ legal filings, describing them as “incomprehensible mixtures of factual assertions and conclusions, subjective opinions, and other irrelevant evidence.”
Background of the Case
Stone, who performs as Vince Vance, first filed suit against Carey in 2022, claiming that his song had received significant airplay before the release of Carey’s chart-topping hit.
He sought $20 million in damages, alleging that Carey had exploited the song’s “popularity and style” while misrepresenting her work’s originality.
In the latest lawsuit, Stone and Powers contended that Carey’s song unlawfully borrowed from their melody and lyrical themes. However, Carey’s legal team argued that phrases like “all I want for Christmas” are commonly found in numerous holiday songs, rendering them unprotectable under copyright law.
Notably, a report from New York University professor Lawrence Ferrara identified at least 19 preexisting songs containing similar lyrical themes.
Legal Fees and Implications
In addition to dismissing the lawsuit, Judge Almadani ordered Stone and Powers to reimburse Carey’s legal fees, citing their “egregious” conduct in the litigation process, including causing unnecessary delays and needlessly increasing litigation costs.
Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has consistently dominated holiday music charts, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive years and generating millions in royalties.
The court’s decision reinforces the principle that widely used lyrical phrases and musical motifs in holiday songs do not automatically warrant copyright protection.
