• A federal judge dismissed a $20 million copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey, ruling All I Want for Christmas Is You wasn’t stolen.
• The judge found no substantial similarity between Carey’s song and the 1989 track by Andy Stone and Troy Powers.
• Plaintiffs' lawyers were sanctioned for frivolous claims and ordered to cover part of Carey’s legal fees.

A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey, ruling that her holiday megahit, All I Want for Christmas Is You, was not stolen from other songwriters. The decision, a major legal win for Carey and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff, came after Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani granted their request for summary judgment. This ruling means the case was resolved without the need for a trial.

Lawsuit Origin and Claims

In 2023, songwriters Andy Stone (also known as Vince Vance) and Troy Powers filed a $20 million lawsuit claiming the 1994 classic infringed on their 1989 country song, which shares the same title. They argued that Carey’s track borrowed its “unique linguistic structure”, portraying a person writing to Santa Claus, disillusioned with material gifts and longing for love instead.

Stone and Powers insisted there was a high chance Carey and Afanasieff had heard their song, which once reached No. 31 on Billboard’s Hot Country chart. However, Judge Ramírez Almadani, after assessing testimony from musicologists on both sides, concluded that the plaintiffs failed to prove the songs were “substantially similar.” Instead, she noted that Carey’s version uses common Christmas themes in distinct ways.

Ruling Highlights and Sanctions

The judge also imposed sanctions on the plaintiffs’ legal team, calling their claims frivolous. She stated that their lawyers made no reasonable attempt to ensure their arguments were supported by evidence. The plaintiffs were ordered to cover part of Carey’s legal fees.

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In response, plaintiffs’ attorney Gerard P. Fox expressed disappointment, suggesting that most copyright cases at this level are dismissed and typically require appeals to reach a jury. He added that their case relied on expert analyses from two respected musicologists.

Carey’s Holiday Hit Continues to Shine

Despite the legal drama, Carey’s festive anthem remains a global phenomenon. Over the past six years, it has consistently topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart during the holiday season, a feat that highlights its enduring popularity. The song, originally released in 1994, has only grown in cultural significance, achieving record-breaking streaming numbers annually.

What Do You Think?

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