It is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey has sold more than fifteen million copies worldwide, making the singer a real star. Except that a country artist named Andy Stone has just accused her of plagiarism, claiming to have written music of the same name, thus completely calling into question the legitimacy of the American in this worldwide success. According to the media TMZ, she would already be sued and owes at least 20 million dollars in damages. She is specifically accused of “copyright infringement”.
The singer really guilty of plagiarism?
Country artist Andy Stone claims he co-wrote and recorded a song of the same name in 1989, but never gave permission to use it. A title composed with his group Vance & The Valiants and released in 1989. A clip was even made for the occasion. The singer proclaims that his song completely inspired that of Mariah Carey, who had a real success with this title when it was released in 1994. He goes further by accusing the American star of having sought to “exploit popularity and unique style” of its title, thereby creating “confusion”.
However, the two pieces have, musically, no common sound. The rhythm and the lyrics are also very different. In addition, a lawyer from Los Angeles who specializes in music and intellectual property rights, explained at Deadline that “song titles are not entitled to copyright protection. That’s why there are 177 works with the title ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You'” she reveals. These are all registered on the US Copyright Office website.
Anyway, this case is not good for Mariah Carey, who will have to defend, most certainly, the biggest title of her entire career. She must also be fed up with the lawsuits, since her brother had recently filed a complaint against her after the publication of her autobiography.