Mariah Carey wins copyright case over Christmas hit

Mariah Carey has been cleared of copyright infringement in a case over her 1994 Christmas staple, All I Want for Christmas is You.

In a ruling a US judge rejected the allegations of songwriter Adam Stone, who released a song with the same name in 1989.

He accused Carey of exploiting his "popularity" and "style".

Stone, who performs under the name Vince Vance, was claiming at least $20m USD in damages.

But in her ruling, Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani cited expert testimony saying the two songs simply shared "Christmas song clichés" that were common to several earlier hits.

Stone and his lawyers have been ordered by the court to repay the legal bills Carey incurred in defending the case.

[Source: BBC]