Pop icon Mariah Carey has secured a significant legal victory, being awarded over $92,000 after a judge dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit targeting her perennial festive hit, "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
Dismissed Claim and Financial Sanctions
The legal action was brought by country musician Andy Stone, who performs under the stage name Vince Vance. Stone, who released a song with the identical title in 1989, had sued Carey on two occasions. He alleged that her globally famous 1994 track copied his work and was seeking a staggering $20 million in damages.
However, the lawsuit was formally dismissed back in March. Newly revealed court documents now show that the judge not only threw out the case but also ordered Stone to pay Carey $92,303.20 in sanctions. The ruling stated that the copyright claim was without merit and that the sanctions were intended to deter the filing of similarly baseless lawsuits in future.
Chart Dynamics and Enduring Royalties
In a separate seasonal development, Carey's holiday anthem recently ceded the number one position on the official U.S. Christmas chart. Wham!'s "Last Christmas" managed to knock the song from the top spot, marking the first time any other holiday track has led that particular chart since its inception in 2020.
Despite this shift in the seasonal rankings, the commercial power of Carey's three-decade-old classic remains undimmed. The song continues to receive massive airplay worldwide every December and is estimated to generate a formidable $2.5 to $3 million in royalties annually for the singer and her co-writer.
A Definitive Legal and Cultural Outcome
This legal outcome firmly closes a long-running challenge to the authorship of one of the modern era's most successful Christmas songs. The court's decision to impose financial penalties underscores the weakness of the claims made against Carey and her co-writer.
While "Last Christmas" may have enjoyed a recent chart triumph, the lawsuit's dismissal and the ongoing substantial earnings confirm that "All I Want For Christmas Is You" retains its status as both a cultural juggernaut and a legally protected work. The case serves as a notable example of the courts acting against what they perceive as unsubstantiated copyright claims within the music industry.
