A Brazilian judge has ordered Adele's "Million Years Ago" to be removed from all streaming platforms worldwide following a plagiarism complaint. The order includes potential fines of $8,000 per violation for Sony and Universal's Brazilian subsidiaries.

Photo Credit: Lady Lotus / CC by 4.0

The lawsuit, filed by Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes, claims Adele's 2015 track from her album "25" plagiarizes his 1995 samba classic "Mulheres (Women)," recorded by Martinho da Vila. Geraes seeks:

• Lost royalties
• $160,000 in moral damages
• Songwriting credit on Adele's track

The preliminary injunction demands immediate global cessation of the song's use, reproduction, distribution, or commercialization across all platforms and formats. While Sony Brazil hasn't commented, the song remains available on Spotify's U.S. platform, where it has accumulated over 225 million plays since 2015.

This marks the first legal challenge to "Million Years Ago," though the song previously faced informal plagiarism accusations from Turkish music fans, who noted similarities to Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya's 1985 song "Acilara Tutunmak (Clinging to Pain)."

Fredimio Trotta, Geraes's lawyer, calls the ruling "a landmark for Brazilian music," suggesting it will deter international producers from potential "parasitic use" of Brazilian compositions.

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