Adele has dozens of beloved songs, but soon, fans may not be able to stream one of them anymore.
As The Guardian reports, Brazilian judge Victor Torres ordered the 25 song “Million Years Ago,” which has about a quarter of a billion streams on Spotify, be pulled worldwide, which would include from streaming platforms. This is a result of a plagiarism claim by Toninho Geraes, a Brazilian composer who claims Adele’s song plagiarizes his “Mulheres.”
The injunction orders the Brazilian subsidiaries of Sony and Universal 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 is suing for lost royalties, $160,000 in moral damages, and songwriting credit on Adele’s song.
Fredimio Trotta, Geraes’ lawyer, said, “It is a landmark for Brazilian music, which […] has often been copied to compose successful international hits.”
The outcome isn’t set in stone yet, though, as the music companies can still appeal the decision.
This isn’t Adele’s first time dealing with plagiarism claims. In fact, it’s not even her first time dealing with claims over this song: In 2015, fans of Turkish musician Ahmet Kaya accused Adele of copying Kaya’s 1985 song “Acilara Tutunmak.”
