Eight Mile Style, the publishing company representing rapper Eminem, has filed a federal lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, accusing it of widespread copyright infringement involving 243 Eminem tracks.
The lawsuit, filed in a Michigan federal court, alleges that Meta reproduced, distributed, and stored Eminem’s music without obtaining proper licenses, and used the songs across its platforms to drive user engagement and ad revenue.
Eight Mile Style is demanding at least $109 million in damages, along with a court injunction to stop what it calls “ongoing infringement.”
According to the filing, the tracks in question have been featured in millions of videos on Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta platforms—collectively receiving billions of views. The lawsuit alleges that Meta continued to host, stream, and monetize karaoke versions, instrumentals, and even original recordings despite lacking any official license.
The complaint reads:
“Despite not being licensed, the recordings of the Eight Mile compositions have been reproduced and synchronized with visual content on Meta’s platforms.”
Eight Mile Style contends that Meta previously attempted to negotiate a licensing agreement through digital rights company Audiam, but those talks fell through. Rather than resolve the matter, Meta allegedly continued to use the songs without permission.
The lawsuit also claims that Meta executives “actively encouraged rampant infringement” to increase advertising revenue, which accounted for 97.8% of Meta’s total revenue in 2023.
Eight Mile Style is seeking $150,000 per song, per platform, and has requested a jury trial.
The company argues:
“Meta’s years-long and ongoing infringement of the Eight Mile compositions is another case of a trillion-dollar company exploiting the creative efforts of musical artists for the benefit of its executives and shareholders.”
In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Meta said it maintains extensive licensing agreements with thousands of rights holders and claimed it had been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style.
“Rather than continue those discussions, Eight Mile Style chose to sue,” Meta said.
This is not the first time Eight Mile Style has taken legal action against Meta. In 2013, the company sued Facebook over alleged unauthorized use of Eminem’s 2000 track “Under the Influence” in an advertisement.
With the new lawsuit escalating tensions, this legal battle could become a landmark case in the music-tech copyright debate.
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