Mariah Carey has now achieved a double victory, as a federal judge in Los Angeles sided with her in granting summary judgment in the latest copyright infringement lawsuit concerning her iconic holiday anthem "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The judge dismissed the entire case, bringing an end to the legal battle.
The lawsuit, initiated in November, was filed by songwriter Troy Powers and country singer Andy Stone, who performs under the moniker Vince Vance with his band Vince Vance and the Valiants. They claimed that Carey's 1994 hit infringed upon a song they had co-written with the same title in 1989. Stone sought $20 million in damages for the alleged infringement.
Carey, along with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, were named as defendants in the lawsuit, which marked the second attempt by Powers and Stone to sue over the song. Their previous lawsuit, also demanding $20 million, was filed in 2023.
However, in a decision handed down on Wednesday by Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, obtained by TheWrap, the judge ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to prove sufficient objective similarities between their song and Carey's.
Almadani concurred with the defense's argument that Carey's 1994 song employed tropes that were commonplace in Christmas songs long predating 1989.
Gerald Fox, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, issued a statement to USA Today expressing his disappointment. "Our client retained two highly esteemed music professors from top U.S. universities, and the case was not filed until both experts, in a blind review, opined that there was infringement," Fox said. "Regrettably, it seems that district courts frequently dismiss the majority of copyright cases brought by plaintiffs."
Fox revealed that they are contemplating re-filing the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Carey, Sony, and UMG have remained silent, issuing no statements in response to the court's ruling.
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" was featured on Carey's inaugural holiday album, "Merry Christmas," released in 1994. Carey co-wrote the timeless classic with Walter Afanasieff.
