Adele Song to Be Banned After Plagiarism Lawsuit

A Brazilian court has delivered a striking blow to Adele‘s musical catalog, ordering the worldwide removal of her 2015 track “Million Years Ago” from streaming platforms over allegations of copyright infringement.

Judge Victor Torres of Rio de Janeiro’s Sixth Commercial Court issued an injunction Friday demanding that the song be banned from streaming services and other global platforms. The order threatens Brazilian subsidiaries of Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music with “a fine of $8,000 ‘per act of non-compliance,’” reports The New York Post.

The legal action stems from claims that Adele’s ballad, co-written with producer Greg Kurstin, borrows from “Mulheres,” a samba classic performed by Martinho Da Vila. The lawsuit was initiated in 2021 by songwriter Toninho Geraes, who is “suing for lost royalties, $160,000 in damages, as well as a songwriting credit on Adele’s song,” per People.

The court ordered Adele’s labels 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.”

Geraes’ attorney, Fredimio Trotta, hailed the ruling as “a landmark for Brazilian music, which has often been copied to compose successful international hits,” according to People. He added that “international producers and artists who have Brazilian music ‘on their radar’ for possible parasitic use will think twice, given this decision.”

The attorney further emphasized that “the decision interrupts this harmful, criminal act, and now time is running out against those being prosecuted. Because interrupted plagiarism is plagiarism that doesn’t make a profit.”

This isn’t the first time “Million Years Ago” has faced plagiarism accusations, The New York Post reports. In 2015, fans of the late Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya claimed Adele’s song was “a rip-off of Kaya’s 1985 song ‘Acilara Tutunmak’ (‘Holding On to Pain’).” However, those claims never resulted in legal action.

The song in question holds personal significance for Adele, who discussed its inspiration during her 2015 Adele at the BBC special with Graham Norton, according to the outlet. “It’s kind of a story about… I drove past Brockwell Park, which is a park in South London I used to live by,” she explained. “It’s where I spent a lot of my youth. It has quite monumental moments of my life that I’ve spent there, and I drove past it and I just literally burst into tears.”

She elaborated on the song’s meaning: “I really missed it, for no other reason than we’ve all got different things going on and it’s got nothing to do with me not feeling like I can’t go and sit in there and drink a bottle of cider anymore… it’s more that life happens, so I’ve got no one to meet there.”

Adding, “I never realized that this was going to happen. I never, ever realized when I had my guitar in the park, singing to my friends… we never in a million years thought this would ever happen.” “Million Years Ago” appeared on Adele’s third studio album 25, which included several of her most successful singles, including “Hello” and “When We Were Young.”