Brazilian Court Orders Global Removal of Adele's "Million Years Ago" Over Plagiarism Lawsuit

Brazilian Court Orders Global Removal of Adele's "Million Years Ago" Over Plagiarism Lawsuit

By Marcus Stevenson

December 17, 2024 at 10:36 PM

A Brazilian judge has ordered Adele's "Million Years Ago" to be removed from all streaming platforms globally following a plagiarism claim. The court order affects Brazilian subsidiaries of Sony and Universal Music, with potential fines of $8,000 for non-compliance.

Adele performing with microphone onstage

Adele performing with microphone onstage

Photo Credit: Lady Lotus / CC by 4.0

Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes claims the 2015 track from Adele's album "25" plagiarizes his 1995 samba song "Mulheres (Women)," recorded by Martinho da Vila. Geraes seeks $160,000 in moral damages, lost royalties, and songwriting credit.

The preliminary injunction prohibits "using, reproducing, editing, distributing, or commercializing" the song through any physical or digital means, including streaming platforms.

Fredimio Trotta, Geraes' lawyer, calls it "a landmark for Brazilian music," noting it will deter international producers from potential "parasitic use" of Brazilian music.

While Sony Brazil hasn't commented, the song remains available on U.S. Spotify with over 225 million streams since its 2015 release. This marks the first legal challenge to the song, though Turkish music fans previously drew similarities to Ahmet Kaya's 1985 song "Acilara Tutunmak (Clinging to Pain)" without legal action.

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