Adele's song to be pulled from streaming services over plagiarism claims from Brazilian singer
Adele is facing a legal battle over one of her songs, with a Brazilian composer claiming the track is a rip-off of his 1995 hit samba classic Mulheres (Women)
Adele, the Grammy-winning singer known for hits like Hello, Set Fire to the Rain, and Rolling in the Deep, is facing legal trouble over one of her lesser-known songs.
A Brazilian composer alleges that the British pop star plagiarized his 1995 hit samba classic Mulheres (Women), recorded by Brazilian singer Martinho da Vila. The composer, Toninho Geraes, 62, who boasts an average Spotify monthly listenership of 264,100 people, claims Adele used his track as inspiration for her 2015 song, Million Years Ago.
He's seeking $160,000 in moral damages, a songwriting credit on the song, and compensation for lost royalties.
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The claim, first made in September 2021, has gained some ground in a Rio de Janeiro court. Judge Victor Torres issued an injunction against Adele and her labels, Sony and Universal, ordering the song to be pulled worldwide.
If the injunction isn't followed, Adele faces a fine of $8,000 "per act of non-compliance", according to news outlet AFP.
The publication's legal victory yesterday resulted in an injunction requiring Sony and Universal to cease "immediately and globally, from using, reproducing, editing, distributing or commercialising the song Million Years Ago, by any modality, means, physical or digital support, streaming or sharing platform.", reports the Mirror.
However, this is just a preliminary injunction, and the music giants have the option to challenge Judge Torres's ruling.
Geraes's attorney, Fredimio Trotta, hailed the decision as a "landmark" for Brazilian music, highlighting that local artists often go unrecognized for their influence on "successful international hits". He added: "International producers and artists who have Brazilian music 'on their radar' for possible parasitic use will think twice, given this decision."
So far, neither Sony Brazil nor Universal Music Brazil has commented on the situation, and Adele herself has not made any public statements. Trotta plans to broadcast news of the injunction this week, informing international radio and TV stations as well as streaming platforms about the court's decision.
This controversy isn't new for the artist; back in 2015, following the release of her album 25 which includes Million Years Ago, Turkish music critics pointed out the resemblance between Adele's track and Ahmet Kaya's 1985 song Acilara Tutunmak (Clinging to Pain). Kaya passed away in 2000.
Despite the allegations, no legal action was taken as Kaya's widow expressed her belief that it was improbable for the singer to plagiarize from the Turkish artist. In an interview with the Turkish national newspaper Post, she stated that she didn't think any similarities were intentional, adding: "However, if she consciously did it, then it would be theft."
"Million Years Ago" has been a successful track for the pop star and even contributed to her Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Shortly after its release, she performed it live on the Today show.
This performance was submitted for the awards and led to Adele being shortlisted in the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program category. However, she was beaten by Rachel Platten's rendition of "Fight Song" on Good Morning America.