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Federal Judge Dismisses Copyright Lawsuit Against Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’

Mariah Carey won a court ruling dismissing a copyright lawsuit over "All I Want for Christmas is You."

A federal judge has dismissed a copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey ‘s smash hit “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Country singer and songwriter Vince Vance previously alleged that Carey had ripped off his band Vance & the Valiants’ 1988 Christmas jingle of the same name, but Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani rejected his allegations, in a Wednesday ruling, citing evidence from a musicologist that the two tracks were “different” and shared “commonplace Christmas song clichés,” found in many other songs. Vince and Powers filed a $20 million lawsuit against the Queen of Christmas in November 2023, and alleged Carey’s 1994 holiday anthem is a “derivative” of their late Eighties single, based on lyrics, melody, harmonic language, and rhythm. Since its release, Carey’s single has become a staple at holiday gatherings, and in 2024 topped the Billboard Hot 100 list for 17 weeks.

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