Brazilian Judge Orders Adele Song “Million Years Ago” Pulled Globally Over Plagiarism Claim

Photo Credit: Lady Lotus / CC by 4.0

A Brazilian judge has ordered the Adele song “Million Years Ago” pulled worldwide from streaming services over a plagiarism complaint. Here’s the latest.

The injunction threatens Brazilian subsidiaries of Sony and Universal—Adele’s labels—with a fine of $8,000 per act of non-compliance with the order. The injunction was made by judge Victor Torres in Rio de Janeiro’s sixth commercial court, pending activity in the continuing plagiarism case brought forth by Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes. There does not seem to be an option to appeal the decision, either.

The complaint alleges that Adele’s 2015 song from her album 25 plagiarized the music of his samba classic “Mulheres (Women)” which was recorded by Brazilian singer Martinho da Vila in 1995. Geraes is suing for lost royalties, $160,000 in moral damages, plus he is seeking a song-writing credit on Adele’s work.

The preliminary injunction orders Sony and Universal to stop “immediately and globally from using, reproducing, editing, distributing, or commercializing the song ‘Million Years Ago’ by any modality, means, physical or digital support, from streaming or sharing platforms.”

“It is a landmark for Brazilian music, which has often been copied to compose successful international hits,” argues Fredimio Trotta, the Brazilian composer’s lawyer. “International producers and artists who… have Brazilian music ‘on their radar’ for possible parasitic use will think twice, given this decision,” the lawyer concludes.

Sony Brazil has not issued a statement about the injunction and the song still appears on the U.S. version of Spotify for now, where it has racked up more than 225 million listens since its release in 2015. This isn’t the only time Adele has faced plagiarism accusations for the song. Turkish music fans said the tune was too similar to a 1985 song by Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya called “Acilara Tutunmak (Clinging to Pain).” This case of plagiarism accusations never had a legal incident attached to it, so the Brazilian order is the first time the song has been challenged in court.

Link to the source article – https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2024/12/17/brazilian-judge-adele-plagiarism-claim/

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