Heartbreaking tales of these fleeting stars
A Brazilian court has ordered Adele’s song 'Million Years Ago' to be removed from global platforms, including streaming services, according to AFP. Judge Victor Torres, presiding over Rio de Janeiro’s sixth commercial court, issued the injunction on Friday. The ruling imposes a US$8,000 fine on the Brazilian branches of Adele’s labels, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music, for any instances of non-compliance.
A court order from Torres requires the labels to stop "immediately and globally" any "use, reproduction, editing, distribution, or commercialization" of Adele’s ballad 'Million Years Ago' from her album '25.' The track has been accused of borrowing from the samba song 'Mulheres,' composed by Toninho Geraes and performed by Martinho da Vila. Adele and Greg Kurstin are credited as co-writers of the song.
Click through this gallery and find out which other famous artists have been accused of plagiarism.
Toninho Geraes, a Brazilian composer, has accused Adele of plagiarizing his 1995 song 'Mulheres,' recorded by Martinho da Vila, in her 2015 track 'Million Years Ago.' The case is ongoing, with no settlement or verdict yet reached. However, Judge Victor Torres has issued a preliminary ruling ordering the Brazilian subsidiaries of Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group to withdraw Adele’s track from all streaming platforms and broadcasting services "immediately and worldwide."
Miley Cyrus is in hot water over her hit song 'Flowers,' as she's being sued for copyright infringement. Tempo Music Investments, the company claiming ownership of a share of the copyright for Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man,' has filed the lawsuit. According to the legal documents, Tempo Music alleges that the similarities between 'Flowers' and Mars' track are too striking to be a coincidence, suggesting Cyrus intentionally copied the popular song.
Dua Lipa was sued for the third time in relation to her 2020 hit 'Levitating.' A musician named Bosko Kante is claiming that she's using some of his work in remixes of the song without permission. The lawsuit, which was filed on July 31, 2023, states that Kante created a talk box track for use on the hit single. A talk box is a music effects unit that allows a musician to use their mouth to change the sound of their instrument. Kante alleges that their agreement permitted the use of his track in the original song, but not in the remixes and later versions. There are at least three other versions of the song referenced—one featuring rapper DaBaby, another remix featuring Madonna and Missy Elliot, and a third that was performed at the American Music Awards.
“All three remixes sampled and incorporated a greater amount of [the] Plaintiff’s work than used in the original version,” his lawyers said. “Defendants did not seek or receive any authorization or permission to use the composition or sound recording of plaintiff’s work from plaintiff." Kante claims that he attempted to resolve the dispute with Dua Lipa out of court but she was unwilling to cooperate. The lawsuit states that he is entitled to US$20 million in compensation. Dua Lipa and her label Warner Music Group have not publicly responded to the claims.
In 2022, Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System filed a copyright infringement suit against the British pop star claiming she ripped off the catchy tune from their own 2017 song, 'Live Your Life', TMZ reported. According to the docs, the band alleges that Dua and her team heard their track before 2020, which is when they started writing 'Levitating,' and then copied it. In addition to Dua, Artikal Sound System has named Warner Records and others as defendants, and they're asking for any profits they may have made off of 'Levitating,' plus damages. While there aren't any specific musical references laid out in their claim, it's clear upon listening to the two songs that at least the chorus sounds near identical...
The singer was hit with a second copyright infringement suit over the same song in 2022, but this time by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, who claim that she ripped off their "signature melody" from their 1979 disco song 'Wiggle and Giggle All Night' and the 1980 Miguel Bosé song 'Don Diablo,' to which they also own the copyright, People reports.
Bad Bunny and some of music's biggest stars want a lawsuit that alleges copyright infringement of a 1989 song thrown out of court, arguing that it's the basis of the entire reggaeton genre. Jamaican reggae producers Steely & Clevie claimed in the lawsuit that more than 100 artists and labels infringed copyright on a rhythm in their song 'Fish Market.' Lawyers from Freundlich Law which represent Bad Bunny, who was accused of infringement on 77 songs, argue the drum beats and timbre don't fall under copyright protection and say the plaintiffs are attempting to “monopolize practically the entire reggaeton musical genre for themselves” by claiming ownership of compositions sampled by over 100 artists in more than 1,600 songs, CNN reports.
Another motion to dismiss, upon the basis of technical faults in the copyright claim, was filed by firm Pryor Cashman, who famously represented Ed Sheeran. Among their nearly 90 defendants are Pitbull, Justin Bieber, Karol G, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Jason Derulo, J Balvin, Ozuna, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Becky G, Rosalia, and Diplo. The whole ordeal brings up an interesting question of where credit is due when the lines between creating a genre and stealing a sound are blurred.
Ed Sheeran was accused of stealing a four-chord progression from Marvin Gaye's soul classic 'Let's Get it On' (co-written by Ed Townsend, whose heirs filed the suit) in his song 'Thinking Out Loud.' The plaintiffs brought a US$100 million court case against Sheeran in NYC but the jury ultimately found him innocent of the charges, declaring that he had "independently" created his song.
When Sheeran took the stand back on May 1, he made it clear just how damaging these bogus copyright claims really are. "If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping," Sheeran said when asked by his attorney Ilene Farkas about the toll the trial is taking on him, as reported by Daily Mail UK. "I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it." Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Sheeran has been in court over one of his songs, so it's understandable why he's so frustrated.
Ed Sheeran was previously embroiled in a legal battle against Grime artist Sami Switch (Sami Chokri) since 2018. Chokri accused Sheeran of plagiarising his song 'Oh Why' in the 2017 hit 'Shape of You.' Rather than settling, as many artists do to save time and money, Sheeran went to court and fought his case over several years. On April 6, Sheeran posted a video to Instagram confirming that he had finally won. The judge ruled that he had "neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied" Chokri's song. Sheeran was pleased with the result but wanted to share his thoughts on the issue of copyright infringement: "I feel like claims like this are way too common now and have become a culture where a claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to court," he began. "Even if there's no base for the claim, it's really damaging to the songwriting industry," as "there's only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music."
Kelis didn't appreciate Beyoncé's interpolation of her hit song 'Milkshake' on the superstar's album 'Renaissance,' and she went so far as alleging that it was "theft." Beyoncé wasn't having any of it either, so when Kelis publicly called her and The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who wrote 'Milkshake') out for allegedly failing to seek permission to use the song for Bey's track 'Energy' and not crediting her, Bey removed it entirely.
"The level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding," Kelis wrote on Instagram when she found out about the interpolation “the same way everyone else did." She slammed people in the music business who have “no soul or integrity.” A fan in the comments section of a Kelis fan page wrote, “Thats a collab the world really needs,” and Kelis responded, “It’s not a collab it’s theft." According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kelis clarified that it was the disrespect of not being contacted that upset her more than the use of her song, especially because she and Bey have met before and have mutual friends. "It’s not hard. She can contact, right?” The problem, however, also lies in a contract The Neptunes allegedly encouraged Kelis to sign. Kelis told The Guardian that after being “blatantly lied to and tricked” she signed an agreement based on “what I was told,” and she "was told we were going to split the whole thing 33/33/33, which we didn’t do," resulting in her losing rights over the music. "I was too young and too stupid to double-check it," she admitted.
Over 25 years since its release, Mariah Carey was hit with a US$20 million lawsuit over her 1994 smash holiday hit, 'All I Want for Christmas Is You,' by another artist who wrote a song of the same name first. Andy Stone, a New Orleans-born musician who performs as Vince Vance and the Valiants, filed a civil lawsuit against Carey, co-writer Walter Afanasieff, and Sony Music Entertainment in Louisiana, alleging "copyright infringement and unjust enrichment" over a successful song he co-wrote in Nashville and released in 1989, People reports.
Stone claims his guitar-led country ballad 'All I Want for Christmas Is You,' which features vocals from Lisa Layne, received "extensive airplay" on the radio during the 1993 Christmas season. While the songs don't share musical similarities or lyrics aside from the title, the filing claims the defendants "never sought or obtained permission" to use the song's title and Stone never gave permission, consent, or a license to use it either.
Carey's iconic pop Christmas song has repeatedly topped the Billboard Hot 100, became the only Christmas song to become certified Diamond, has amassed over a billion streams on Spotify, and is estimated to have earned at least US$60 million in royalties, so it's not hard to believe that Stone could make a pretty penny should he win.
French Montana was threatened by a lawsuit from rapper Turk over allegedly stolen lyrics. Turk, a member of '90s hip hop group The Hot Boys, which also included Lil Wayne, B.G., and Juvenile, had his lawyers send a letter to Montana claiming he ripped off lyrics for his 2021 song 'Handstand' with Doja Cat and featuring Saweetie.
According to the letter, obtained by TMZ, Turk says the lyrics were stolen from his group's 1999 hit, 'I Need A Hot Girl,' which even appeared on Billboard's Hot 100. In Montana's song, the lyrics go: "I need a project b—, a hood rat b—. One don't give a f— and say she took that d—," which are almost exactly the lyrics Turk claims he wrote and performed in his song.
But this all might just be a misunderstanding, as a source with direct knowledge reportedly told TMZ that Montana had actually purchased the beat and the hook, thinking that it was all clear. Turk's attorney says they're willing to settle out of court.
Justin Bieber's romantic 2021 hit '10,000 Hours' featuring pop duo Dan + Shay came under scrutiny following a lawsuit by the label Melomega Music. The company claims that a “core portion” of the Grammy-winning song was taken from a little-known 1980 track called 'The First Time Baby Is A Holiday.' Melomega's representatives say that the theft was "impudently bold,” claiming that “'10,000 Hours’ is not just substantially similar to ‘First Time’; defendants copied, in minute detail, the most important, core portion of plaintiff’s song, which includes the chorus, verse and hook."
Songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda and Rosco Banlaoi accused Sam Smith and Normani, along with a list of names, of stealing the core from their 2015 track 'Dancing With Strangers' for the hit 2019 song 'Dancing With a Stranger.' The suit claims the hook, chorus, lyrics, and musical composition "are all the same," Pride reports. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the damages Vincent has suffered from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and EMI Music Publishing.
Madonna publicly called out rapper Tory Lanez for illegally sampling her music on his album 'Alone at Prom.' She claimed that he used her song 'Into The Groove' on the track 'Pluto’s Last Comet' without permission. This came to light when Madonna commented on an Instagram post where he was promoting the album. She wrote "Read your messages [for] illegal usage of my song get into the groove!", suggesting that he had already been contacted about it and hadn't responded. Lanez was already in legal trouble after allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in 2020.
In the summer of 2021, Courtney Love called out Olivia Rodrigo for allegedly copying her 'Hole' album cover. On Facebook, Love wrote, "I've informed her I await her flowers [and] note . I sure hope it's long . Does Disney teach kids reading and writing ? God knows. Let's see . Yes this is rude. Rage inducing ? Honey if I had a dollar for [every time] this happens ? I'd be real rich !" When a commenter criticized her for getting upset, she had more to say...
The grunge rocker replied, "Stealing an original idea and not asking permission is rude. There's no way to be elegant about it . I'm not angry . It happens all the time to me . And he really I'm very gracious or say nothing . But this was bad form . That's not bullying or bomb throwing . This persons music has nothing to do with my life . Possibly never will . It was rude And I gave every right to stick up for my work . Don't gatekeep me ! I'm honorable as f--k to my fellow artists , and I expect the same."
Trainor's smash hit was allegedly pulled from South Korean pop band Koyote's song 'Happy Mode,' according to one of the songwriters.
Kurt Cobain was reportedly nervous for making the grunge anthem as the single for their album for its similarities to Killing Joke's 'Eighties.' The latter opted not to sue.
Hungarian folk singer Mitsou sued the couple in 2014, claiming they had lifted the vocals from her song 'Bajba, Bajba Pelem.' The case went to court and Mitsou lost.
See also: Musicians who sued their own bands
Plagiarism allegations may force removal of Adele’s hit song
Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes is seeking US$160,000 in damages
MUSIC Copyright
A Brazilian court has ordered Adele’s song 'Million Years Ago' to be removed from global platforms, including streaming services, according to AFP. Judge Victor Torres, presiding over Rio de Janeiro’s sixth commercial court, issued the injunction on Friday. The ruling imposes a US$8,000 fine on the Brazilian branches of Adele’s labels, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music, for any instances of non-compliance.
A court order from Torres requires the labels to stop "immediately and globally" any "use, reproduction, editing, distribution, or commercialization" of Adele’s ballad 'Million Years Ago' from her album '25.' The track has been accused of borrowing from the samba song 'Mulheres,' composed by Toninho Geraes and performed by Martinho da Vila. Adele and Greg Kurstin are credited as co-writers of the song.
Click through this gallery and find out which other famous artists have been accused of plagiarism.