NEW YORK, United States —
Mariah Carey has been sued in the US for alleged copyright
infringement over her global hit 1994 song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,”
court documents show.
اضافة اعلان
The plaintiff, a musician named Andy Stone, says he
co-wrote and recorded a festive song of the same name in 1989 and never gave
permission for it to be used.
In the suit filed on Friday in
Louisiana, Stone
alleges that Carey and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff “knowingly, willfully,
and intentionally engaged in a campaign to infringe” his copyright.
He is seeking damages of $20 million for alleged
financial loss.
Carey’s song is one of the most successful music
singles of all time, topping the charts in more than two dozen countries and
enjoying considerable airtime every Christmas.
It features prominently in the 2003 Christmas-themed
romantic comedy film “Love Actually.”
The song has sold
an estimated 16 million copies worldwide and earned Carey a reported $60
million in royalties over the last three decades.
Stone’s song, released with his band Vince Vance and
the Valiants, enjoyed moderate success on Billboard’s country music charts.
Despite having the same titles, the songs sound
different and have different lyrics.
Stone, though, accuses Carey and Afanasieff of
aiming to “exploit the popularity and unique style” of his song, causing
“confusion.”
“Defendants’ unauthorized use of the ‘All I Want for
Christmas is You’ in association with their exploitation of the derivative work
acts to capitalize on the goodwill and unique talent of Plaintiff in an effort
to obtain commercial advantage,” the suit says.
It was unclear why Stone has filed the suit almost
30 years after Carey released her song.
The document states that Stone’s lawyers first
contacted Carey and Afanasieff last year but the parties were “unable to come
to any agreement.”
Carey’s publicist did not immediately respond to a
request for comment from AFP.
It is not
uncommon for songs to have the same title. Some 177 works are listed under the
title “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on the website of the
United States Copyright Office.
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