Eminem’s music publisher, Eight Mile Style, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta in federal court in Detroit, claiming the company has used the rapper’s songs on its platforms without proper licensing, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Based in Ferndale, Eight Mile Style alleges that Meta included Eminem’s music in its public music libraries for use in videos and posts, without obtaining the necessary rights.
The lawsuit, which does not list Eminem as a direct plaintiff, accuses Meta of unauthorized use of 243 of his songs, including popular tracks like “’Till I Collapse” and “Lose Yourself.”
Despite previous demands to take down the music, Eight Mile Style claims that instrumental and karaoke versions of Eminem’s songs are still available and have been featured in countless videos, collectively viewed billions of times.
Eight Mile Style asserts that Meta promotes the use of these tracks by featuring them in curated playlists such as “For You” and “Trending,” thereby “actively encouraging” users to include them in their content.
The complaint also alleges that Meta accessed these songs via a 2020 agreement with digital rights management company Audiam, which Eight Mile Style argues had no legal authority to license Eminem’s catalog.
The publisher is seeking financial compensation either through a share of Meta’s advertising revenue generated from the videos or through statutory damages for copyright infringement.
They are also calling for a permanent injunction to prevent future unauthorized use of Eminem’s work.
The lawsuit states that “Meta’s years-long and ongoing infringement … is another case of a trillion-dollar company exploiting the creative efforts of musical artists.”
Eight Mile Style has previously pursued legal action over copyright issues, including lawsuits involving Apple, Spotify, and a resolved 2013 dispute with Facebook. Meta has not issued a statement regarding the case.
Separately, earlier this month, a man named Matthew David Hughes was convicted of first-degree home invasion and aggravated stalking after twice unlawfully entering Eminem’s Michigan residence.
