Mariah Carey won sanctions against a Christmas-song plaintiff, and Dua Lipa beat 'Levitating': 2025's failed plagiarism suits
In March 2025 two federal judges threw out song-theft suits against Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' and Dua Lipa's 'Levitating', both because the shared material wasn't protectable. Carey's judge went further and sanctioned the plaintiffs' side; in December the bill came to about $92,300 for Carey alone. For songwriters thinking of suing, the lesson is to filter out the building blocks before anyone files.
Artist rightsvia US District Court for the Central District of California (via Digital Music News)