The publisher that controls the early catalog of leftist rapper Eminem is suing Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, accusing the tech giant of unauthorized use of his music.
Eight Mile Style productions, the production company that owns Eminem’s early music catalog, is suing Meta for alleged unauthorized distribution of his songs without a valid license through its Instagram Reels Remix and Original Audio features, according to the lawsuit obtained by TheWrap.
The company, co-founded by Eminem’s production team, is seeking up to $150,000 in statutory damages per song from each platform that the lawsuit accuses of “knowing” and “rampant” unapproved distribution of the “Real Slim Shady” rapper’s music. Moreover, Eight Mile Style is seeking actual damages, lost profits, and a permanent injunction against unlicensed usage of Eminem’s music.
The lawsuit claims Meta made Eminem’s songs available in its platforms’ “Music Libraries,” which were then spread through user-generated content through tools like Reels Remix and Original Audio, making it so that the “Stan” rapper’s songs were used in millions of videos, streamed billions of times, the lawsuit claims.
The complaint goes on to say that Mark Zuckerberg’s tech giant tried to acquire licenses through the digital music royalties collection company Audiam, Inc., but maintained that Eight Mile Style never granted Audiam such authority.
Meta is accused of both “rampant infringement” and “knowing infringement” of Eight Mile Compositions, according to the lawsuit, which also claims Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp’s parent company “encourag[ed] billions of users of its online services to do so, all willfully, and without a license.”
“Thus, as Meta knows, it does not enjoy and is not eligible for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s (‘DMCA’) safe harbor provisions,” the suit adds.
While Meta removed some of Eminem’s songs following complaints, the tech giant “continues to host unauthorized cover and instrumental versions,” the lawsuit asserts.
A Meta spokesperson told Breitbart News, “Meta has licenses with thousands of partners around the world and an extensive global licensing program for music on its platforms. Meta had been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style, but rather than continue those discussions, Eight Mile Style chose to sue.”
This is not the first lawsuit the “Killshot” rapper’s publisher filed a lawsuit this year.
In January, Eight Mile Style filed a complaint against a Ford dealership in Michigan over the car dealer’s alleged unauthorized use of the tune “Lose Yourself” in its advertisements.
Eminem campaigned for Kamala Harris before the 2024 election, telling a rally crowd, “I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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