Legal Battle Over Mariah Carey’s Christmas Song Dismissed, But Questions About Copyright and Influence Persist
A federal judge has dismissed a copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey and her iconic holiday hit All I Want for Christmas Is You. The lawsuit, filed by country singer Vince Vance, claimed that Carey had copied his 1988 Christmas song of the same title. On March 19, 2025, Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani rejected the allegations, citing insufficient evidence to prove that Carey’s song was a copy of Vance’s track.
Background of the Lawsuit
In 2022, Vince Vance (born Adam Stone) and his co-writer Troy Powers filed a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement and unjust enrichment. The pair claimed that Carey’s song, which was released in 1994, had closely mimicked the “compositional structure” of their 1988 Christmas tune. Vance accused Carey of exploiting his popularity and style to create a song that generated immense commercial success, without giving him proper credit.
In his complaint, Vance wrote, “Her hubris knowing no bounds, even her co-credited songwriter doesn’t believe the story she has spun.” Vance’s suit requested $20 million in damages, as well as a trial by jury. He even argued that Carey had “palmed off these works” as her own, despite the similarities between the songs.
Judge’s Ruling and Key Testimonies
The lawsuit was dismissed after Judge Almadani found that Vance and Powers had failed to meet the burden of proof. One of the key factors in the judge’s decision was the testimony of Lawrence Ferrara, a musicologist and professor at New York University, who analyzed both songs. According to Ferrara, the similarities between the two tracks were “fragmentary” and consisted only of “commonplace Christmas song clichés.” He went further to point out that similar lyrics had appeared in “at least 19 songs” before Vance’s track.
Ferrara’s analysis noted that while both songs shared the common theme of a Christmas wish, their melodies, rhythms, and overall structure were significantly different. “The versions by Vance and Carey in their entirety are very different songs,” Ferrara concluded.
But beyond expert opinions, listeners can compare the songs for themselves. Below is a side-by-side audio comparison of both tracks, allowing audiences to determine whether the similarities are as striking as Vance claimed or simply part of the holiday music tradition.
A Christmas Classic and Its Legal Journey
Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You has since become a global holiday phenomenon, topping the Billboard charts year after year and generating millions in revenue. In 2022, it earned a reported $8.5 million in global revenue and remains a go-to holiday classic. The song’s success on streaming platforms has been unparalleled—becoming the first holiday song to hit 2 billion streams on Spotify by December 2024.
As Mariah Carey continues to break records, the legal battle surrounding her song only adds another chapter to the complex nature of music copyright cases. This particular lawsuit was not the first—Vance and Powers had previously filed another case in 2022, which was also dropped.
The Ongoing Influence of Holiday Classics
While this case may have ended with a clear legal victory for Carey, it brings attention to the ongoing debates within the music industry about what constitutes copyright infringement, especially when dealing with common themes and musical tropes. The line between influence and infringement is often blurred, and the sheer number of Christmas songs with similar lyrics or melodies only complicates matters.For Carey, this victory affirms her status as one of the holiday season’s most influential artists. Yet, Vance’s original track, although overshadowed by the massive success of Carey’s version, serves as a reminder of the diverse ways in which Christmas music continues to evolve. The music industry’s ongoing discussions about copyright infringement, creativity, and originality will likely persist, even as the holiday season rolls on and songs like All I Want for Christmas Is You remain a staple of Christmas playlists.
By Rodrigo García-Villoslada
