Robbie Williams' track "Forbidden Road" from his biopic Better Man has been disqualified from Oscar consideration, despite initially making the shortlist of 15 finalists for Best Original Song. The decision comes shortly after the song received a Golden Globe nomination.

The Academy's decision stems from the discovery that "Forbidden Road" contains material from a previous song not written specifically for the film. The track reportedly shares similarities with "I Got A Name," written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel for the 1973 film The Last American Hero. Fox currently serves on the AMPAS Board of Governors.

The Academy's music branch, consisting of over 400 members, received a letter explaining the disqualification. The similarities between the songs were only brought to the branch executive committee's attention this week, with the decision made on December 19.

While "Forbidden Road" is no longer eligible, Better Man remains shortlisted in the Visual Effects category, notably for its portrayal of Williams as a chimpanzee. The film is among ten finalists competing for five nomination slots.

Prior to the disqualification, Williams had expressed gratitude for the consideration, stating, "It is always nice to be invited to the party — or should I say considered to be invited to the party."

This isn't the first time a song has been disqualified after making the Oscar shortlist. A similar situation occurred in 2013 with the film Alone Yet Not Alone, when its title song was disqualified due to improper lobbying by its composer. As with that instance, no replacement nomination will be made for "Forbidden Road."

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