Is Mariah Carey's festive classic a copy? Andy Stone reignites $20M copyright suit over Carey's holiday hit

Country singer Andy Stone, performing as Vince Vance, has filed a $20 million copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey.

Country singer Andy Stone, performing as Vince Vance, has reignited a U.S. copyright lawsuit against pop icon Mariah Carey, alleging that her holiday hit ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ unlawfully borrowed from his band Vince Vance & the Valiants' song of the same name.

Singer Mariah Carey shows her hands after placing them in cement in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre in Los Angeles. (REUTERS)

In a California federal court, Stone and co-writer Troy Powers have initiated the lawsuit, alleging that Carey's hit unlawfully replicated their song's "compositional structure of an extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury" along with various lyrical and musical elements.

They are seeking a minimum of $20 million in damages from the defendants, including Mariah Carey's label Sony Music, and Universal Music Group, which holds publishing rights to the song.

This fresh legal battle surfaces a year after Stone withdrew a similar lawsuit concerning the same songs, initially filed in a Louisiana federal court. Stone and Powers' attorney, Cirstan Fitch, has chosen not to provide comments on the matter. At the same time, representatives for Sony Music and Universal Music Group have not yet responded to media inquiries.

Stone claims that his band introduced their ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ in 1989, which garnered popularity as a country hit during the 1990s' holiday seasons.

Conversely, Mariah Carey's rendition of the song made its debut on her 1994 album 'Merry Christmas' and has subsequently established itself as a cherished Christmas classic, maintaining a remarkable streak of topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart during every holiday season since 2019.

The lawsuit from Stone and Powers maintains that Carey's version mimics various elements from their ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ encompassing its melody, lyrics, and overall "feel." Remarkably, Carey and her record labels did not respond to Stone's previous lawsuit, which he later dismissed.

This latest legal showdown between Andy Stone and Mariah Carey will play out in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California under the case name Stone v. Carey (No. 2:23-cv-09216).

Gerard Fox and Cirstan Fitch of Gerard Fox Law provide legal representation for Stone and Powers.