Eminem files $109 million lawsuit against Meta for unauthorised use of his music

Eminem is suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, for allegedly using his songs without permission.

According to The Wrap, the lawsuit, filed 30 May by Eminem’s music publishing company Eight Mile Style, accuses the social media giant of distributing the rapper’s song without a valid license via its Reels Remix and Original Audio features.

Eight Mile Style is seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per track, per platform – a figure that could total as much as $109.35 million.

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The suit alleges that Eminem’s songs were made available in Meta’s “Music Libraries” and used in user-generated content via tools like Reels Remix and Original Audio. This resulted in the songs being used in millions of videos and streamed billions of times.

Court documents also state that Meta sought to obtain licenses through Audiam, Inc., a digital music royalty collection company, though Eight Mile Style claims it did not grant them.

In the suit, the rapper’s team accuses Meta of “rampant infringement” and “knowing infringement” of his compositions, alleging the company “encourag[ed] billions of users of its online services to do so, all willfully, and without a license.”

It also argues that Meta is fully aware it “does not enjoy and is not eligible for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s (‘DMCA’) safe harbor provisions.”

While Meta has removed some of the songs including the 2002 hit Lose Yourself following complaints, Eminem’s lawyers say that the company “continues to host unauthorised cover and instrumental versions.”

In addition to statutory damages, Eight Mile Style is also seeking actual damages and lost profits, along with a permanent injunction against any future unlicensed use of Eminem’s music. Mata, meanwhile, has requested for a jury trial.

The news arrives less than a year after Eight Mile Style lost a long-running copyright infringement case against Spotify. At the time, Eight Mile Style sought around $30 million [per MusicRadar] from Spotify, claiming the streaming giant had racked up billions of plays on Eminem’s songs without proper licensing rights.

In September, a Tennessee judge ruled that while Spotify did not have the proper license (as the publisher claimed), the streaming giant would not be liable to cover the unpaid royalty bill. Instead, Kobalt Music Group – which handles rights and collects royalties for artists – had to pay.

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