American singer Mariah Carey is facing a $20 million copyright lawsuit related to her 1994 hit ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’.
According to the case documents filed at the US District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana and seen by PA, songwriter Andy Stone accuses both the singer and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff of “knowingly, willfully, and intentionally engaged in a campaign” to infringe his copyright for the song.
Stone claims that he co-wrote a song of the same name in 1989 for Vince Vance & the Valiants and never allowed it to be used. The two songs have different lyrics and music.
However, Stone argues that Carey and Afanasieff chose to commit “acts of unjust enrichment” by unlawfully appropriating his work. According to him, they acted in a way that was “designed to exploit the popularity and unique style” of his song, creating “confusion.”
Stone is seeking damages of $20 million. Carey is yet to comment on the lawsuit.
‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ was recorded for her 1994 album ‘Merry Christmas’, which became the best-selling US Christmas album of all time, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide. According to The Economist, the hit brought in over $60 million for Carey.
Every year, the singer marks the beginning of the Christmas season with an online video accompanied by the song’s melody.