Adele Facing Plagiarism Lawsuit, Hit Song Could Soon Be Pulled From Streaming Platforms Unless Deal Is Reached

Adele could be dealing with massive legal fees soon. The Rio de Janeiro Court has ruled that the melody from her 2015 song “Million Years Ago” is near-identical to a song written 20 years ago and ordered it pulled from all digital platforms and streaming services.

The song in question, “Mulheres,” was composed by singer and songwriter Toninho Geraes and performed by Martinho da Vila. “I was stunned. Because when I first heard about it, I didn’t know what to do. It’s almost a version, practically a version,” Geraes explained.

Geraes’s lawyer apparently notified Adele in 2021, along with her record labels. Their intention was to be recognized as co-author and receive royalties for the song’s use. However, they heard nothing back.

So, Geraes proceeded with legal action and took their case to court in February 2024. It’s taken nearly a year, but as reported by news network Jornal Nacional, the 6th Business Court of Rio de Janeiro has come to a decision.

The court has issued a preliminary ruling, ordering that Adele and her label are barred from “..using, reproducing, editing, distributing, or commercializing “Million Years Ago” worldwide.” Violations could be subject to a fine of R$50,000 (approx $10,000 USD) per infringement.

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Geraes was, understandably, happy with the decision. “It is a landmark for Brazilian music, which… has often been copied to compose successful international hits,” their lawyer said of the plagiarism complaint (via MSN).

So, has Adele copied “Mulheres”? That’s, of course, for the legal system to decide, but there are strong similarities, as evidenced by this mash-up. The song is supposedly co-written by Adele and Greg Kurstin, but neither Adele nor her representatives have issued a statement.

Evidence included a video showing the two songs being performed by the same singer. However, as explained by musician and researcher Henrique Cazes (via Jornal Nacional), proving plagiarism isn’t easy, particularly when, as in this case, the songs are in very different styles.

This ruling doesn’t mean that Brazil can drop the hammer on the rest of the world, but it’s a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which many other countries also subscribe to. And if Apple, Spotify, and so on want to keep operating in Brazil, they may have to abide by the court’s decision.

However, it’s not the first time Adele has been accused of plagiarism, and it’s for the exact same song. As reported by the BBC, back in 2015, fans of Turkish musician Ahmet Kaya also thought “Million Years Ago” was a copy of Kaya’s Acilara “Tutunmak”, though it didn’t result in legal action.

We’re half wondering if we’ll see a second legal battle over just which song Adele has “plagiarised.” For now, we’ll just have to wait for the inevitable statement from Adele and her representatives.