Eight Mile Style, the music publisher for Eminem’s early catalog, has filed a major lawsuit against Meta Platforms. The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, now faces accusations of widespread copyright infringement.
The lawsuit claims Meta used 243 songs from Eminem’s catalog without permission. Eight Mile Style is seeking over $109 million in damages. The catalog includes songs released between 1995 and 2005, during the height of Eminem’s rise to fame.
Although Eminem himself is not a part of the legal action, the case involves some of his most iconic tracks. Eight Mile Style, co-founded by the Bass Brothers, owns the rights to those songs and takes pride in protecting them.
According to the lawsuit, Meta allowed users to access and use the music on its platforms. Features like “Original Audio” and “Reels Remix” allegedly encouraged users to create content using the songs. The publisher says this happened without proper licenses or credit.
The publisher argues this use was not only unauthorized but also deliberate. Meta, they say, pursued licenses through Audiam, a digital rights platform. However, Eight Mile Style claims it never gave Audiam access to these specific songs.
The filing says Meta stored, reproduced, and distributed the songs on a massive scale. As a result, the music ended up in millions of videos across Facebook and Instagram. In some cases, the videos received billions of streams.
Eight Mile Style insists that Meta’s actions harmed the value of its copyrights. The company cites lost profits and claims Meta benefitted financially from the use of the tracks.
To calculate damages, the publisher requested $150,000 for each of the 243 songs. That total adds up to $109,350,000. The suit also asks for a jury trial.
Though Meta reportedly removed some tracks after earlier complaints, the publisher alleges many unauthorized versions remain.
This lawsuit highlights growing tension between tech companies and rights holders over digital music use. The outcome could have a major impact on how platforms handle copyrighted music in the future.
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