A US federal court dismissed a $20 million (€18.5 million) case against Mariah Carey, ruling that she did not steal All I Want For Christmas Is You from other songwriters, reports RTE.
The dispute was resolved without a trial when Los Angeles judge Monica Ramirez Almadani gave Carey and her co-writer, Walter Afanasieff, summary judgement.
Songwriters Troy Powers and Andy Stone, sometimes known as Vince Vance, launched the complaint in 2023. They claimed that their 1989 country song of the same name was plagiarised in Carey’s 1994 holiday hit. In the US, their song once peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot County list, reports RTE.
Gerard P. Fox, their attorney, said he was disappointed by the decision. He stated that his client will soon make a decision on whether to appeal. “Judges at this level nearly always now dismiss a music copyright case, and… one must appeal to the reverse and get the case to the jury,” he added.
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According to Stone and Powers, their song has a “unique linguistic structure” where the vocalist, wanting to be with their loved one but not impressed by material things, sends a letter to Santa. The “overwhelming likelihood” that Carey and Afanasieff had heard their song and imitated it was what they asserted, reports RTE.
The defense’s expert witness, however, argued that both songs employed common Christmas motifs in distinct ways, and Judge Ramirez Almadani agreed.
She also criticised the plaintiffs and their attorneys, describing their case as “frivolous” and pointing out that they failed to provide a credible defence. They were mandated to pay for Carey’s legal fees, at least in part, reports RTE.
Since its premiere, Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has only became more well-known, topping charts worldwide each December.
Although their public dispute over who composed how much of the song hasn’t gone to court, Carey and Afanasieff became at least temporary buddies as a result of the lawsuit, reports RTE.
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