It’s the unmissable holiday hit: American singer Mariah Carey has been accused of copyright infringement for her song My only wish for Christmas is Youof an artist who claimed 20 million US dollars (25 million Canadian dollars) as damages.
Plaintiff, Andy Stone, claims he wrote and recorded a song of the same name in 1989, without giving permission to use it, according to the text of a lawsuit filed Friday in Louisiana. Mariah Carey’s title was released in 1994.
Andy Stone accused the singer and Walter Afanasieff, who co-wrote the Christmas song, of having intentionally, voluntarily and knowingly engaging in a process intended to be violated its copyright.
A huge success
My only wish for Christmas is You is one of the most-streamed titles of all time: it tops sales in more than 20 countries, and is widely streamed each year.
The title has sold 16 million copies and alone would fetch Mariah Carey approximately $ 60 million over three decades.
Andy Stone’s song, recorded with his band Vince Vance and the Valiantsmeanwhile, enjoyed moderate success among country music fans.
If the titles of the two songs are the same, the music and lyrics are different.
However, Andy Stone criticizes the singer, some thirty years later, for its ambition. take advantage of the popularity and unique style of its title, thus creating confusion.
The document filed in Louisiana court indicates that the plaintiff’s legal team contacted Mariah Carey and her co-author last year, but did not failed to reconcile.
Representatives for the singer were not immediately available for comment.
In total, about 177 songs titled My only wish for Christmas is You is registered on the website of the US Copyright Office.
Source: Radio-Canada
