Mariah Carey Sued For £16 Million Over All I Want For Christmas Is You
'All I Want For Christmas Is You' is now at the centre of a lawsuit, with Mariah Carey being sued for $20 million (£16 million).
'All I Want For Christmas Is You' is the belter that everyone whips out at karaoke or drunkenly sings around the table with friends while silently weeping inside that you're the only one who's left single – you should really just ignore what Carey is singing about.
However, the regularly chart-topping festive hit is now at the centre of a lawsuit that is being brought against Carey and her co-writer Walter Afansieff by songwriter Andy Stone.
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The hit Christmas anthem was first released on 1 November 1994 by Columbia Records.
It is one of 10 songs that feature on Carey's Merry Christmas album.
However, Stone is claiming under copyright infringement that Carey and Afansieff nicked the song's title.
Stone alleges he co-wrote a song with the same name in 1989, as per legal documents filed at the US District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
He said the song was written for Vince Vance and The Valiants, recorded in Nashville and that the song climbed the Billboard charts in 1993 and also had a music video.
Stone states he never agreed to the lyrics being used by Carey or Afansieff.
He has subsequently accused Carey and Afansieff of 'knowingly, wilfully, and intentionally engaging in a campaign' to infringe his copyright of the song.
The court documents continue by stating the duo have carried out 'acts of unjust enrichment by the unauthorised appropriation of plaintiff's work and goodwill associated therewith'.
While 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' may have debuted at number five and peaked at number two in the year of its release in 1994, the song has regularly entered the charts ever since.
In 2020, it even reached the top spot on the UK charts for the first time.
The song is estimated as having made $60 million (£44.5m) in royalties since its release and making Carey over $2 million every single year.
A total of $20 million (£16 million) in damages is being sought by Stone.
Poppy Bilderbeck