Eminem's publisher, Ferndale's Eight Mile Style, recently filed a lawsuit against Meta. According to Complex, the company accuses the tech giant of using the rapper's songs without proper licensing. The copyright infringement suit was filed yesterday (May 30) in Detroit federal court. Eminem is not named as a direct party, but the suit cites the allegedly unauthorized use of 243 of his compositions.
Eight Mile Style alleges that despite requests to remove his music from the platform, instrumental and karaoke versions of his songs are still available. Allegedly, they've been used in millions of videos. The company even alleges that Meta “actively encourages” the use of the songs by featuring them in curated sections like “For You” and “Trending.”
The lawsuit accused Meta of accessing the music through a 2020 deal with digital rights firm Audiam. Allegedly, Audiam lacked authorization to license it.
Eminem Stalker Arrested
Eight Mile Style is seeking monetary damages and demands a permanent injunction against the use of Em's music in the future. “Meta’s years-long and ongoing infringement … Is another case of a trillion-dollar company exploiting the creative efforts of musical artists,” the lawsuit alleges. Meta has not commented publicly on the case.
This isn't the only legal drama Eminem has been dragged into recently, however. Earlier this month, it was reported that the man accused of stalking him for years was convicted following a jury trial. The man in question, Matthew Hughes, was found guilty of first-degree home invasion and aggravated stalking.
Hughes broke into Em's house last year and stole a bike. In 2020, he also used a brick to smash the performer's window and gain entry to the home. The jury reached a verdict after roughly 90 minutes of deliberation, and the trial took just two days.
