A copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey over her holiday classic All I Want for Christmas Is You has been dismissed once again. On March 19, a Los Angeles judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support claims made by songwriters Andy Stone and Troy Powers, who alleged that Carey’s 1994 hit copied their 1989 song of the same name.

Originally filed in November 2023, the lawsuit accused Carey of “copyright infringement and unjust enrichment,” arguing that her song imitated the "compositional structure" of Stone’s version. Stone, who performs as Vince Vance, and Powers sought $20 million in damages and a jury trial.

However, court documents from the recent ruling stated that there was “an absence of evidence” proving that Carey’s song was copied. Additionally, the court noted that the phrase “all I want for Christmas is you” was not original to Stone’s work.

Musicologist Dr. Lawrence Ferrara, an NYU professor, analyzed both songs and concluded that their lyrical similarities were “fragmentary,” arranged differently, and consisted of common Christmas song clichés. The songs were also deemed different in melody, harmony, rhythm, and lyrics, confirming that no copyright infringement had occurred.

This was not the first time Stone and Powers pursued legal action. In June 2022, they filed a similar $20 million lawsuit in Louisiana but dropped the case later that year.

Originally released on Carey’s Merry Christmas album in 1994, All I Want for Christmas Is You has become a holiday staple. The song has been certified diamond by the RIAA, selling over 10 million copies, and as of December 2024, became the first holiday track to surpass 2 billion streams on Spotify.

“This is beyond incredible,” Carey told PEOPLE at the time. “I’m honored to have All I Want for Christmas Is You be the first holiday track on Spotify to reach 2 billion streams! I’m so grateful to all Spotify listeners around the world who’ve made the song part of their holiday tradition year after year.”

Source: People