Eminem publisher sues Meta, claiming unlicensed use of rapper's songs on Facebook, Instagram
Eminem's song publisher has sued the digital giant Meta, claiming the company behind Facebook and Instagram failed to properly secure licensing for music by the Detroit rapper.
The lawsuit, filed Friday by Ferndale's Eight Mile Style in Detroit federal court, contends Meta maintains online music libraries with Eminem songs supplied to the public for user posts.
Works include hits such as ''Till I Collapse,' which is among the 243 Eminem compositions administered by Eight Mile Style.
Friday's filing says previous outreach from Eight Mile Style to Meta prompted the social media company to remove Eminem tracks such as 'Lose Yourself' from its libraries, although karaoke and instrumental versions of that song remain available, according to the suit.
The Eminem music has been deployed 'across millions of videos, which have been viewed billions of times,' reads the complaint.
Eminem is not a direct party in the suit. The Free Press has reached out to Meta for comment.
Eight Mile Style accuses Meta of several forms of copyright infringement. It is seeking yet-to-be determined monetary damages, based on Meta advertising profits, or statutory copyright damages, along with a permanent injunction against the company's use of the Eminem songs.
The lawsuit argues that Meta isn't merely allowing posters to include Eminem music in user-generated content — it is 'actively encouraging' them by featuring the songs in its libraries.
Eight Mile Style says the Eminem songs are made available for user posts on Facebook, remixes on Instagram Reels and content on the Meta-owned messaging service WhatsApp. Algorithms directly promote the music to users via 'For You' and 'Trending' categories, the suit claims.
The lawsuit alleges that Meta accessed the Eminem songs through a 2020 arrangement with the New York digital licensing firm Audiam, which had previously worked with Eight Mile Style. In this situation, the complaint says, Audiam was not authorized by the Ferndale company to enter into an agreement with Meta for the Eminem music.
'Meta's years-long and ongoing infringement of the Eight Mile Compositions is another case of a trillion (with a 'T') dollar company exploiting the creative efforts of musical artists for the obscene monetary benefit of its executives and shareholders without a license and without regard to the rights of the owners of the intellectual property,' reads the complaint.
Eight Mile Style, which was co-founded by Eminem's early production team the Bass Brothers, oversees Eminem's catalog of songs published between 1995 and 2005, including releases up through the album 'Encore.'
The Ferndale company has aggressively guarded against copyright infringement through the years, most notably in the digital sphere, including high-profile litigation with Apple and Spotify.
Facebook was named in a 2013 lawsuit by Eight Mile Style, which alleged the social media service simulated the Eminem track 'Under the Influence' in an ad spot. That dispute was settled out of court.
The new Meta suit contends that Eminem's compositions 'are some of the most valuable in the world, and Eight Mile Style is very protective of these iconic songs.'
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eminem publisher sues Meta, claiming unlicensed use of songs on FB, IG
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