Jakarta – Adele’s song “Million Years Ago,” which has caused heartache for millions, is now at risk of no longer being heard. A court in Brazil has just made a shocking decision: the song must be withdrawn from global circulation.
A Brazilian composer, Toninho Geraes, accused the song on the album 25 (2015) of plagiarizing his composition titled Mulheres, quoted from AFP via Guardian, Thursday (12/19/2024).
The classic samba song was first released in 1995 by the legendary Brazilian singer, Martinho da Vila.
According to Judge Victor Torres from the sixth commercial court in Rio de Janeiro, the accusation is serious enough that an immediate cease and desist order was issued on Friday (13/12).
If Adele and her labels, Sony and Universal, do not comply, they face a fine of USD 8,000 (around IDR 128 million) for each violation.
The judge ordered that all activities related to the song Million Years Ago be stopped, including its use, distribution, editing, and streaming, both physically and digitally. In fact, streaming services, radio, and even television worldwide will be informed about this decision.
“This is a historic milestone for Brazilian music,” said Fredimio Trotta, Geraes’ lawyer.
He added that this decision will make international producers and musicians more cautious if they want to incorporate elements of Brazilian music into their works.
Geraes is indeed serious about his demands. He is demanding royalties from the song, moral damages of USD 160,000 (around IDR 2.57 billion), and songwriting credit for himself on Adele’s song.
Unfortunately, Sony Brasil stated that they cannot comment at this time, and Universal Music Brasil has also not responded.
According to Trotta, this decision serves as a reminder to foreign labels and musicians that Brazilian music is not a mine of ideas that can be taken at will. “They will think twice before using Brazilian music parasitically,” he emphasized.
Here is the song Million Years Ago by Adele.
As a comparison, here is
