Eminem is suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech giant of distributing over 200 of his songs without permission.
The lawsuit, filed by Eminem’s music publishing company, Eight Mile Style, on May 30, seeks damages of up to $109 million.
Eight Mile Style claims that Meta made Eminem’s songs available in its Music Libraries, allowing users to utilise features like Original Audio and Reels Remix. As a result, the rapper’s songs were incorporated into millions of videos and streamed billions of times across the platforms.
The lawsuit alleges that Meta infringed on the copyrights of 243 of Eminem’s songs, accusing the company of the “unauthorized storage, reproduction, and exploitation” of the tracks. Eight Mile Style also claims that this infringement has led to a “diminished value” of the songs and caused financial losses for the company.
The lawsuit seeks statutory damages of up to $150,000 per song, per platform, which could result in a total of $109.35 million in damages. In addition to monetary compensation, Eight Mile Style is also requesting a jury trial.
A Meta spokesperson told The Independant that the company had been negotiating with Eight Mile Style in good faith but was faced with a lawsuit instead of continued discussions. [VIA]
