Studio staffer charged with stealing Eminem tracks to sell online
A former Eminem studio engineer has been charged with stealing the Detroit rapper's unreleased music and selling it online. Federal prosecutors have announced that more than 25 songs have been played or distributed online without the consent of Eminem or his record label. The music was stored on password-protected hard drives and kept in a safe at Eminem's studio in Michigan. Joseph Strange of Holly, Michigan, has been charged with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods. Strange, who lost his job at the 8 Mile star's studio in 2021,...
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Meta sued by Eminem's publishing company over alleged copyright infringement
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Rihanna's Classics Return As Her New Single Vanishes Almost Immediately
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Meta Accused Of Massive Music Heist In $109M Lawsuit Over Eminem's Catalog
Eminem's team just dropped a legal bombshell on Meta, and it is shaking up the music world. The rapper's publishing company, Eight Mile Style, is suing the tech giant for a staggering $109 million, accusing it of using his music without permission. According to the explosive filing, Meta allegedly allowed users to post Eminem's tracks on its platforms without proper licensing, sparking fierce backlash and setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle. Mark Zuckerberg's company, Meta, has landed in hot water, and this time, it is due to Eminem's music catalog. On May 30, Eight Mile Style filed a lawsuit against the tech company, accusing them of copyright infringement and seeking millions in damages. In the court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the publisher claimed that Meta violated the copyright of 243 songs from the rapper's music catalog through the 'unauthorized storage, reproduction, and exploitation' of the tracks on their platforms. According to the filing, Eminem's songs were made available in the tech company's 'Music Libraries' to be used by users to create content using features such as Original Audio and Reels Remix. The publisher chained those features, allowing the 52-year-old's songs to be streamed billions of times and used in millions of videos. The lawsuit claimed that due to the countless unauthorized uses of the icon's songs, there was a 'diminished value of the copyrights by Defendants' theft of them, lost profits, and Defendants' profits attributable to the infringement.' As a result, the company is seeking monetary damages as well as maximum statutory damages. They requested $150,000 for each of the 243 songs per platform, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, bringing the total amount to $109,350,000. In addition, Eight Mile Style requested a jury trial. They claimed that Meta tried to get licenses through Audiam Inc., a digital royalty collector and payment engine. However, Eminem's publisher said they didn't give Audiam access. Following the lawsuit, Meta issued a statement in response to the claims. 'Meta has licenses with thousands of partners around the world and an extensive global licensing program for music on its platforms,' a spokesperson said. They also noted that Meta had been in talks with Eight Mile Style, but instead of continuing the discussion, the publishing company chose to file a lawsuit. Meanwhile, Eminem has clarified that he is personally not part of the lawsuit. In a statement to E! News on Wednesday, June 4, the Grammy Award winner revealed, '8 Mile Style is a publishing company that administers my early catalog releases." "The Meta lawsuit came from them, not me. I'm not personally involved with it and I am not a party to the suit,' he added. This is not the first time Zuckerberg and Eight Mile Style have been embroiled in a legal fight. In 2013, the latter sued Facebook, alleging that the platform used Eminem's song 'Under the Influence' for an advertisement without consent. The advert was featured in a webcast by Zuckerberg to announce Facebook Home, an interface for Android phones. However, the publisher claimed the platform changed the background and music before the advert hit TV and YouTube. 'The alteration of the Airplane advertisement was an admission that Facebook knew it had infringed on the Eminem/D12 composition,' Eight Mile Style claimed per BBC News. They demanded $150,000 in damages per infringement for the resemblance of Eminem's song. In response, Facebook's lawyers argued that the song was exempt from copyright infringement, alleging that the music sounded similar to a Michael Jackson song. Besides popular platforms, individuals, even in Eminem's camp, have also faced legal troubles due to the icon's music. In March 2025, Joseph Strange, a former sound engineer for Eminem, was caught stealing and selling over 25 unreleased tracks from the rapper's private archives. Strange allegedly accessed password-protected hard drives containing unreleased material, transferring files to an external device between 2019 and 2020. The FBI's investigation began after Eminem's team discovered the unreleased songs circulating online and identified images taken directly from the studio's hard drive. Buyers reported paying substantial sums, including one who spent $50,000 in Bitcoin for 25 tracks. Now, Strange faces charges of criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods, carrying potential penalties of up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
