"Since Mariah Carey first belted "I don't want a lot for Christmas," she's hauled in over $100 million in royalties over the 31 years since its release. This year, she gets to add even more jolly dollar bills than usual to the pile, after being gifted attorney's fees in a dismissed copyright lawsuit over the song behind the second saddest moment in Love Actually. (The saddest being Joni Mitchell 's "Both Sides Now," obviously.)"
"In November 2023, Andy Stone (who performs as Vince Vance) and Troy Powers sued Carey for "a very confident" $20 million, claiming her version plagiarized their 1989 country-ish Christmas kind-of-hit song-performed under the name Vince Vance & the Valiants and also titled, "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The lawsuit alleged that Carey's song copied the "compositional structure of an extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury, and further includes several of Plaintiffs' lyrical phrases.""
"You might recognize the song, but it's as different from Carey's version as "Jingle Bells" is from "Jingle Bells Rock": they both talk about longing for someone for Christmas and have "Christmas" in the title. And I know this isn't how copyright infringement is determined, but Vance's version is more jazz-y and melancholy, while Carey's is just pure pop fun. But that lawsuit was officially dismissed in March."
Mariah Carey has earned over $100 million in royalties from "All I Want for Christmas Is You" across 31 years. Andy Stone (Vince Vance) and Troy Powers sued Carey in November 2023 seeking $20 million, alleging her song plagiarized their 1989 song of the same title and copied compositional structure and lyrical phrases. The Vince Vance & the Valiants song is jazzier and more melancholy, while Carey's version is pop. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in March, found it lacked merit, and awarded Carey $92,300 in attorney's fees to deter baseless lawsuits.
Read at Jezebel
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