Mariah Carey faces lawsuit over 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'
Mariah Carey has been sued in the United States for alleged copyright infringement over her global hit 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You," court documents show. The plaintiff, a musician named Andy Stone, says he co-wrote and recorded a festive song of the same name in 1989 and never gave permission for it to be used.
- Magazine
- DPA
- Published Date: 12:04 | 04 June 2022
- Modified Date: 06:06 | 04 June 2022
The singer and her co-writer Walter Afansieff are both named in the lawsuit, which is being brought by songwriter Andy Stone.
The song was released by Carey in 1994 as part of her album "Merry Christmas" and has gone on to be recognised as one of the most well-known festive hits.
In legal documents filed at the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Stone claims that he co-wrote the song in 1989 and has never given permission for it to be used.
The documents, obtained by the PA news agency, state that Carey and her collaborators "knowingly, willfully, and intentionally engaged in a campaign" to infringe Stone's copyright for the song.
They added the defendants had also committed "acts of unjust enrichment by the unauthorised appropriation of plaintiff's work and the goodwill associated therewith".
Stone is seeking damages of $20 million dollars.
"Merry Christmas" was released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994 and became the best-selling U.S. Christmas album of all time, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide.