Christmas has come early for Mariah Carey. The artist who claimed he had dibs on the song title “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has withdrawn his copyright lawsuit.
Andy Stone — better known by his stage name Vince Vance — had sued Mariah and her song’s co-writer, Walter Afanasieff, in June. He’d claimed they infringed on his copyright because he wrote a song with the same exact title five years before Mariah unleashed her Christmas classic. He had sought $20 million in damages.
Billboard reports lawyers representing Stone requested to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit on Tuesday. A reason was not provided. Despite the dismissal, Stone still has the opportunity to refile his suit — should he choose — at a later time.
Music insiders deemed the suit over “All I Want For Christmas Is You” a head-scratcher because there were no similarities found in the melodies or lyrics of the two songs. It was unclear how the matter would have played out in court.
It should also be noted that while Mariah does have the most popular version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” there are dozens of other songs using the same exact title registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Representatives for Stone nor Mariah have commented on the legal matter.
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