Three decades after Andy Stone co-wrote a song sharing the same name as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the songwriter is suing the platinum singer for copyright infringement and misappropriation.
Stone wants $20 million in damages for the recording of the song without permission, according to the complaint filed at a New Orleans federal court. The lawsuit also includes claims against Sony Music Entertainment and co-writer Walter Afanasieff.
The Louisiana Music Hall of Famer claims that sharing the same name with Carey’s version has inflicted a confusing of brands. Although the two songs share the same title and both celebrate the holidays, they don’t have similar lyrics and are sonically different.
Stone, birth name Andrew John Franichevich Jr., co-wrote his version of the single in 1989 as a part of the country pop group Vince Vance & The Valiants under the Malaco Music Group and Waldoxy Records. The single landed on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in the early 1990s.
Released in 1994, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is Carey’s 19th No. 1 single and has become a Christmas season anthem over recent years. In 2021, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) gave Carey the distinguished honor of the Diamond Award as the single sold over 10 million U.S. sales and streams.
