Eminem’s publishing company, Eight Mile Style, has taken legal action against Meta Platforms—the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—accusing it of using the rapper’s music without proper licensing.
The lawsuit, filed in a Michigan court, claims Meta included 243 Eminem tracks in its music library and allowed millions of videos featuring those songs to be shared across its platforms without authorization. These videos have reportedly racked up billions of views.
Eight Mile Style alleges that Meta copied and synced Eminem’s songs to videos without permission, despite previous attempts to negotiate licensing agreements through Audiam, a digital music rights company.
The complaint also accuses Meta executives of encouraging widespread copyright infringement to drive user engagement and increase advertising revenue, which accounted for nearly 98% of Meta’s total income in 2023.
Additionally, the suit claims Meta continued hosting karaoke, instrumental, and even some original versions of Eminem’s songs after being warned about the licensing issues.
Eight Mile Style is seeking at least $109 million in damages and a court order to stop the alleged copyright violations. They are asking for $150,000 per song, per platform, and have requested a jury trial.
Meta responded by saying it has “extensive” licensing agreements with thousands of partners worldwide and has been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style. They added that Eight Mile Style chose to sue instead of continuing discussions.
This lawsuit follows a previous 2013 case where Eight Mile Style sued Facebook for allegedly using Eminem’s song “Under the Influence” in an ad without permission.
