British Pop Singer Adele Found Guilty of Plagiarism by Brazilian Court
A court in Brazil has found popular British singer Adele guilty of plagiarism and ordered one of her songs to be removed from streaming services, Euronews reports.
Judge Victor Torres ordered the Brazilian subsidiaries of Sony and Universal to immediately stop using, reproducing, distributing or commercialising the song Million Years Ago. The song is part of Adele's album 25, released in 2015.
Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes claims that the song Million Years Ago is a plagiarism of his song Mulheres. It was recorded by the Brazilian singer Martins da Vila in the album Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso.
Eventually, Geraes filed a lawsuit. He is demanding $160,000 in moral damages and wants to be credited with the song by Adele.
If Sony and Universal violate Judge Torres' injunction, they will face a fine of $8,000. However, the labels may appeal the judge's decision.
This is not the first accusation of plagiarism against Million Years Ago. In 2015, Turkish listeners heard the similarity between Adele's song and the Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya's composition Acılara Tutunmak.