Brazilian Composer Sues Adele Over Plagiarism, Gets ‘Million Years Ago’ Pulled from Streaming
It will now be impossible to stream Adele’s song “Million Years Ago.” A judge in Brazil ordered the removal of the song from all streaming platforms worldwide in an ongoing plagiarism dispute. The song, part of Adele’s album 25, has been involved in a legal dispute since Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes filed a lawsuit claiming plagiarism in 2021.
Composer Toninho Geraes’ song “Mulheres” is the center of the plagiarism lawsuit against Adele’s song “Million Years Ago”
According to the lawsuit, Geraes claims that Adele’s “Million Years Ago” copied part of his song “Mulheres.” The lawsuit focuses on the Samba c1995 classic music release by Brazilian singer Martinho da Vila.
Judge Victor Torres issued the injunction from Rio de Janeiro’s sixth commercial court earlier this month and placed other terms. The Brazilian subsidiaries of Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music have also been threatened with a $8,000 fine “per act of noncompliance.”
According to the injunction obtained by AFP, Judge Torres ordered Universal Music Group and Sony Music 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, streaming or sharing platform.”
Lawyers for Geraes are celebrating the decision as positive for their case
“It is a landmark for Brazilian music, which… has often been copied to compose successful international hits,” Fredimio Trotta, the attorney for Geraes, told AFP.
Geraes is seeking proper compensation for what he alleges to be blatant music plagiarism. Along with the royalties he claims to be entitled to, Geraes also seeks $160,000 in moral damages and a writing credit on Adele’s “Million Years Ago.”
This is also not the first time “Million Years Ago” has been accused of plagiarism. When the song was released in 2015, fans of the late Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya claimed that Adele copied his 1980s song “Acilara Tutunmak.”
No lawsuit was brought forth against the song. And even Kaya’s wife spoke up and doubted that the singer would intentionally plagiarize a song.
“International producers and artists who… have Brazilian music ‘on their radar’ for possible parasitic use will think twice, given this decision,” Trotta told AFP.
Social media users are doubtful that Adele intentionally copied Geraes
“The melody is identical,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote in Portuguese. “I don’t know if it was intentional, but it’s the same.”
While there is little doubt that “Million Years Ago” and “Mulheres” are similar, it is difficult to determine whether Adele intentionally copied them. This reminds us of when Princess Nokia brought similar claims against Ariana Grande.
In 2019, Princess Nokia accused Grande of plagiarizing her song “Mine” in Grande’s hit “7 Rings.” Princess Nokia deleted the video shortly after posting it after backlash from fans.
The lawsuit against Adele is ongoing, and the injunction is just one of the latest updates. Universal Music Group has filed an appeal claiming that there is no plagiarism. We will keep you updated on the story as it updates.
