BY ODIGIE OKPATAKU
Eminem’s publishing company, Eight Mile Style, has filed a federal lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, accusing the tech giant of using the rapper’s music without proper licensing.
Filed in a Michigan court, the complaint alleges that Meta—which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—stored, reproduced, and distributed Eminem’s songs through its platforms, despite lacking the necessary rights. Eight Mile Style is seeking at least $109 million in damages, as well as a court order to halt what it claims are ongoing copyright violations.
According to the lawsuit, Meta’s music library includes 243 tracks owned or controlled by Eight Mile Style. These songs were allegedly used in millions of videos that have garnered billions of views across Meta’s platforms. The suit contends that the music was copied and synced to visual content without authorization, despite previous failed negotiations for a licensing agreement through Audiam, a digital music rights company.
“Despite not being licensed, the recordings of the Eight Mile compositions have been reproduced and synchronized with visual content on Meta’s platforms,” the complaint states. It further alleges that Meta executives “actively encouraged rampant infringement” to boost user engagement and advertising revenue—advertising that reportedly made up 97.8% of Meta’s total revenue in 2023.
The complaint also criticizes Meta for continuing to host karaoke, instrumental, and even some original versions of Eminem’s songs after being made aware of the licensing issues.
“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,” the lawsuit reads.
In response, Meta told the Los Angeles Times that it has “extensive” licensing agreements in place with thousands of partners globally and claimed it had been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style. “Rather than continue those discussions, Eight Mile Style chose to sue,” the company said.