Eminem's Publishing Company Files $109 Million Lawsuit Against Meta

Eminem's publishing company, Eight Mile Style, has filed a copyright lawsuit against Meta and its platforms.

According to a report E! News published on Tuesday, June 3, EMS alleged Meta, which owns social media brands such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, violated the copyright of 243 songs from Eminem's catalog through "unauthorized storage, reproduction and exploitation” of his music. Em's company referred to Original Audio and the "Remix" function in Instagram Reels, which they believe are tools that “allow and encourage its users to steal” his music for video content "without proper attribution or license.”

The Independent reports that Meta attempted to obtain licenses for Em's music via Audiam, Inc, which is a digital royalty collection and payment engine. EMS argued they did not give Audiam access to the music in question. They also acknowledge that Meta took down some of the songs after EMS lodged complaints. However, Em's company allegedly “reproduced and stored unauthorized unlicensed copies.”

“Meta has licenses with thousands of partners around the world and an extensive global licensing program for music on its platforms," a rep from Meta told The Independent. "Meta had been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style, but rather than continue those discussions, Eight Mile Style chose to sue."

Eminem's company is requesting a check for “the diminished value of the copyrights by Defendants’ theft of [the music], lost profits, and Defendants’ profits attributable to the infringement.” He asked for $150,000 for each song across all three of Meta’s platforms, which adds up to $109,350,000.