Andy Stone alleges he wrote a song with the same name in 1989 and has filed a lawsuit against the singer and her co-writer. The song has gone on to become one of the most well-known holiday hits, with over one billion streams on Spotify.
Andy Stone, who claims he co-wrote a song with the same name in 1989, is suing the five-time Grammy award winner and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff.
Mr Stone argues that he never gave permission for the song to be used and that Ms Carey and her partners “knowingly, deliberately, and purposefully participated in a campaign” to infringe on his copyright in legal documents filed in Louisiana.
According to court filings, he also accused them of operating in a way that was “intended to exploit the fame and unique style” of his music, as well as “causing uncertainty.”
The words and melody of the two songs are very different.
The defendants are also accused of “acts of unfair enrichment through the unauthorised appropriation of plaintiff’s work and the goodwill associated therewith,” according to the lawsuit.
Mr Stone is demanding $20 million (£16 million) in damages, according to the lawsuit.
The song, which was first released on Ms. Carey’s 1994 album Merry Christmas, has gone on to become one of the most well-known holiday favourites, having been streamed over one billion times on Spotify.
The record went on to become the best-selling Christmas album in the United States, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide.
