Adele plagiarism controversy explored as Brazil court orders global withdrawal of the song Million Years Ago

One of Adele's songs from her 2015 album titled 25 faces a global ban due to a plagiarism claim. A Brazilian judge had ordered the singer's track, Million Years Ago, removed globally after a Brazilian composer, Toninho Geraes, filed a copyright claim over the song.

Judge Victor Torres issued the preliminary injunction on Friday, December 13, during proceedings at the Sixth Commercial Court in Rio de Janeiro. Per the ruling, Sony and Universal must:

"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."

The ruling came after Brazilian singer and composer Toninho Geraes claimed that Million Years Ago plagiarized the song Mulheres (Women), which he wrote for Brazilian singer Martinho da Vila in 1995. On Monday, December 16, The Guardian reported that Geraes is suing for $160,000 (£125,827) in lost royalties and "moral damages." He is also pushing for a songwriting credit on Adele's track.

Geraes filed the copyright claim back in 2021, and the recent injunction is only the latest update in the ongoing case. The lawsuit continues, but Judge Torres decided to have the song pulled pending further activity on the case.

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Attorney of the copyright claimant on Adele's song says the judge's latest ruling is a "landmark of Brazilian music"

Adele has just finished her Las Vegas residency and has yet to comment on the latest update on her ongoing copyright lawsuit. The Brazil counterpart of Sony also said that it did "not have a statement at this time." Universal Music Brazil is also yet to comment on the issue.

That said, Toninho Geraes's attorney, Fredimio Trotta, told AFP—via a December 17 article by The Independent—that the latest ruling from Judge Torres is good news for Brazilian music and artists. He said:

"It is a landmark for Brazilian music, which... has often been copied to compose successful international hits."

Trotta added that the judge's decision in favor of the copyright claimant would make producers worldwide think twice about copying Brazilian songs moving forward, saying:

"International producers and artists who... have Brazilian music 'on their radar' for possible parasitic use will think twice, given the decision."

The Independent also reported that Trotta mentioned that his firm plans to notify both radio and television broadcasters about the Brazilian ruling. They will also be contacting streaming services worldwide. Trotta also spoke with Sky News on December 17 about the ruling, stating that the judge decided their camp had "started to request tougher measures" as the case continues. He added:

"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."

It isn't the first time Adele's Million Years Ago song was embroiled in a copyright lawsuit. Back when she released the song in 2015, the singer reportedly faced backlash in social media in Turkey after Turkish fans claimed that she copied the song from the Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya's 1985 song Acilara Tutunmak (Clinging to Pain).