March 14, 2025
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A Brazilian judge has reportedly ordered that Adele’s 2015 song, “Million Years Ago”, be pulled from streaming services worldwide, following allegations of plagiarism from Brazilian musician, Toninho Geraes.
Geraes, a composer, alleges that Adele copied his song “Mulheres”, a Brazilian hit that came out in the 1990s. His lawyers have uploaded a video to YouTube comparing the two songs. Geraes is claiming lost royalties and $160,000 in moral damages, as well as songwriting credit.
The decision has implications beyond Brazil due to the Berne Convention, an international treaty that requires its signatories to comply with foreign legal decisions related to copyright. Currently, 181 countries are signatories to the treaty.
However, as of the time of writing, “Million Years Ago” is still available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube (at least in Canada).
The decision has reportedly been appealed, with an argument on appeal being that the two songs have only “accidental melodic similarities”, due to the use of “musical clichés”.
Authors: Kasia Donovan and Alexa Guerra
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