Adele's hit song pulled over plagiarism claims - listen to both songs and decide if they're similar
Grammy-winning artist Adele has created some chart-topping hits over the years but one track has been slammed with plagiarism claims and a judge has ruled it be pulled globally
Adele has run into some legal woes regarding one of her songs, which may result in the track being pulled forever.
The Grammy-winning hitmaker, 36, is known for her songs, including Hello, Set Fire to the Rain, and Rolling in the Deep. However, one of her lesser-known tunes has come under fire by a Brazilian composer who claims the British popstar took a little too much inspiration from his 1995 hit samba classic Mulheres (Women), recorded by Brazilian singer Martinho da Vila.
Toninho Geraes, 62, who has an average Spotify monthly listening of 264,100 people, has claimed Adele plagiarised his track to create her 2015 song, Million Years Ago. In addition to seeking $160,000 (£127,000) in moral damages and a songwriting credit on the musician's song, he is suing for lost royalties.
The claim, which was first made in September 2021, has had some traction in a Rio de Janeiro court, with judge Victor Torres issuing an injunction to Adele and her labels, Sony and Universal, ordering the song to be pulled worldwide, ruling that if the injunction isn't followed, the singer has to pay a fine of $8,000 (£6,300) "per act of non-compliance", according to news outlet AFP.
The injunction obtained by the publication yesterday states that Sony and Universal must stop "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." However, as it is a preliminary injunction, the music companies can file a motion to appeal Judge Torres's decision.
In response to the ruling, Geraes's lawyer, Fredimio Trotta, said the result is a "landmark" for Brazilian music, claiming the country's artists are often the uncredited inspiration for "successful international hits". He continued to say: "International producers and artists who have Brazilian music 'on their radar' for possible parasitic use will think twice, given this decision."
Neither Sony Brazil nor Universal Music Brazil has issued a statement at this time, and Adele is also staying quiet on the matter. Tortta said he will spread the word about the injunction this week, telling international radio and television broadcasters and streaming services of the decision.
This isn't the first time the musician has faced a plagiarism claim for her song. In 2015, soon after the release of her third studio album, 25, of which the song featured, Adele was called out by music critics in Turkey who claimed Million Years Ago sounded quite similar to the late Ahmet Kaya's song, Acilara Tutunmak (or Clinging to Pain) which was released in 1985. Kaya died in 2000.
Despite the claims, a legal case never went ahead as Kaya's widow said she believed it was unlikely that the singer would plagiarise from the Turkish singer. Speaking to the Turkish national newspaper Post, she said that she did not believe any similarities were intentional, adding: "However, if she consciously did it, then it would be theft."
Million Years Ago has been a hit for the popstar and even helped earn her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Soon after its release, she performed it live on the Today show. The performance was entered into the awards and resulted in Adele becoming a finalist in the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program category. However, she lost out to Rachel Platten's performance of Fight Song on Good Morning America.
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