Overview

• Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani dismissed the lawsuit, stating the plaintiffs failed to prove substantial similarity between the two songs under copyright law.
• The court found that both songs shared commonplace Christmas song motifs, which are not protectable under copyright law.
• Plaintiffs Vince Vance (Andy Stone) and Troy Powers were ordered to repay Mariah Carey's legal fees due to their conduct, which was deemed egregious and unnecessarily costly.
• Carey's legal team argued that the songs were completely different, with any similarities being typical of the holiday music genre.
• Mariah Carey's 1994 hit has become a holiday standard, topping the Billboard Hot 100 every Christmas season since 2019.