Is pop superstar Mariah Carey’s 1994 smash “All I Want for Christmas Is You” a rip-off of an earlier Vince Vance & the Valiants song with the same title?
Vance, the tall-haired entertainer with deep New Orleans roots, alleges in a new lawsuit that it is.
Filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana under Vance’s legal name, Andy Stone, the suit seeks $20 million from Carey, her co-writer and Sony Music Corporation.
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The title and general theme of the two versions of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” are exactly the same, but the lyrics, melodies and instrumentation are not. If the case goes to trial, expert testimony will likely help determine whether the two songs are similar enough to have violated Stone’s copyright.
Vance, the tall-haired entertainer with deep New Orleans roots, alleges in a new lawsuit that it is.
Filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana under Vance’s legal name, Andy Stone, the suit seeks $20 million from Carey, her co-writer and Sony Music Corporation.
...
The title and general theme of the two versions of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” are exactly the same, but the lyrics, melodies and instrumentation are not. If the case goes to trial, expert testimony will likely help determine whether the two songs are similar enough to have violated Stone’s copyright.