All I Want for Christmas is You | Singer Maria Carey has been charged with copyright infringement

The plaintiff, Andy Stone, claims in a text of a lawsuit filed Friday in Louisiana that he co-wrote and recorded the song of the same name in 1989 without permission.

He is claiming $ 20 million in damages from Maria Carey, whose title was released in 1994.

Co-author singer and Walter Afanasif alleges that Andy Stone “knowingly, voluntarily and deliberately engaged” in the process of infringing on his copyright.

All I wanted for Christmas was you One of the most aired titles of all time: it tops sales in more than 20 countries and is widely aired each year.

The hit has sold 16 million copies and is said to have grossed nearly $ 60 million for Maria Carey over three decades.

Andy Stone’s song, recorded with his band Vince Vance and Valiants, was a moderate success with country music fans.

Diverse music and lyrics

Although the two songs have the same title, the music and lyrics are different.

Andy Stone, however, criticized the singer, almost thirty years later, for trying to use her “popular and unique style” of the title, thereby creating “confusion”.

The document, filed in Louisiana court, states that plaintiffs’ attorneys contacted Mariah Carey and her co – author last year, but “could not reach an agreement.”

Representatives of the singer were not immediately available for comment.