Mariah Carey has won a major legal victory after a US court dismissed claims that she copied her famous Christmas hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You.
The pop icon, whose song has been a holiday favourite since its release in 1994, was accused of copyright infringement by songwriter Adam Stone. However, the court ruled in her favour, confirming that there were no substantial similarities between the two songs.
Stone, who released a song with the same title five years earlier under the name Vince Vance and the Valiants, alleged that Mariah Carey had taken inspiration from his work and sought $20 million in damages.
However, Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani rejected the claim, stating that both songs contained common Christmas themes rather than unique elements. Mariah Carey’s legal team successfully argued that the song was her own creation, with the singer previously revealing that she composed most of it on a small Casio keyboard while watching It’s a Wonderful Life.
She later worked with co-writer Walter Afanasieff to complete the track, which went on to become one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. The judge not only dismissed Stone’s case but also ruled that he and his lawyers must pay Mariah Carey’s legal fees due to the “frivolous” nature of the lawsuit. Since its release, All I Want For Christmas Is You has become a holiday staple, earning around $8.5 million per year and generating an estimated $100 million overall. The song has spent 140 weeks in the UK’s top 100 music chart and was selected for the U.S. Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2023.
With this legal battle behind her, Mariah Carey continues to reign as the undisputed “Queen of Christmas,” with her festive anthem loved by fans worldwide.