Grammy-winning rapper Eminem has filed a lawsuit of $109 million against Facebook-parent Meta accusing it of copyright infringement. The lawsuit, filed by Eminem’s music publishing company, Eight Mile Style, accuses Meta of the “unauthorised storage, reproduction, and exploitation” of 243 of Eminem’s songs across its platforms.As per the court documents seen by People, Eight Mile Style alleges that Meta’s in-app features, such as “Original Audio” and “Reels Remix,” have actively encouraged and allowed users to incorporate Eminem’s music into their video content without proper licensing or attribution. The lawsuit further claims that this has led to rapper’s songs being used in millions of videos and streamed billions of times, resulting in diminished value of the copyrights and lost profits for the publisher.
Eminem vs Meta: Unauthorised use of music
As reported by People, the lawsuit alleges that Meta has allowed its users to store, reproduce and exploit Eminem’s songs through features like Original Audio and Reels Remix, which enable users to incorporate music into their content without proper attribution or licensing.Eight Mile Style is seeking statutory damages of $150,000 per song, per platform (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), which could accumulate to the total sum exceeding $109 million. The publisher has also requested a jury trial and a permanent injunction to prevent Meta from future unauthorised use of Eminem’s music.
What Meta said on the lawsuit
Meta has not yet issued a public comment directly on the lawsuit. However, a company spokesperson told People that the company has licenses with thousands of partners around the world and the company has also been negotiating with Eight Mile Style. “Meta has licenses with thousands of partners around the world and an extensive global licensing program for music on its platforms. Meta had been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style, but rather than continue those discussions, Eight Mile Style chose to sue,” said Meta spokesperson.
