Why is Eminem suing Meta? $109M lawsuit against social media giant explained

Eminem's music publishing company has filed a lawsuit against Meta, accusing the social media giant of profiting from widespread, unlicensed use of his music.

Eight Mile Style filed the lawsuit on Friday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, his hometown, accusing Meta of distributing, storing, and reproducing the rapper's songs without proper licensing across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

CBS News has reported that Meta's online music libraries have 243 songs owned by Eight Mile Style that users use to attach to their posts. Eight Mile Style is also arguing that Meta's platform tools allow users to reuse music from other posts, thereby multiplying the copyright infringements. The company is claiming that such a design enables and promotes infringement instead of preventing it.

Eminem's lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg's Meta explored

The Wrap has reported that restitution for damages done could be as high as $1 million, as Eminem's company is looking for statutory damages of up to $150,000 per song for each platform. Slim Shady claims that Meta was aware they had to source licensing for reproducing and distributing music.

Per CBS News, back in 2020, the giant entered into a licensing agreement with Audiam, a digital royalty collection and payment engine. At the time, Meta tried to include Eight Mile Style license as part of the Audiam license, to no avail.

The Wrap has further outlined that the Mark Zuckerberg company is accused of “rampant infringement” of Eight Mile Compositions, and also of “knowing infringement,” going on to state that the company,

“encourag[ed] billions of users of its online services to do so, all willfully, and without a license.”

CBS News has reported that at one point, Eminem's company reached out to Meta about the alleged copyright infringement.

This promted them to remove "several of the Eight Mile compositions from its music libraries," the lawsuit states.

The paperwork also claims,

“Thus, as Meta knows, it does not enjoy and is not eligible for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s (“DMCA”) safe harbor provisions.” Despite removing some songs, the suit claims that the company “continues to host unauthorized cover and instrumental versions.”

Eight Mile Style is now seeking actual damages, lost profits, as well as a permanent injunction to circumvent the unlicensed usage of the Grammy-winning rapper's music. They are also seeking a jury trial.

Meta has been hit with similar lawsuits before, such as back in 2022, when Epidemic Sound accused it of using thousands of its tracks without proper authorization.

As reported by E! News, Eminem's music has had personal elements for long, frequently reflecting on his troubled childhood and the rocky relationships he shared with his mother, Debbie Nelson, and ex-wife Kim Mathers.

Back in June 2022, he tod Shade 45's Sway In The Morning that being able to write his feelings down is his way of coping:

“One of the great things about rap music is that you could put so much of your life in it,” he said at the time. “It's therapeutic and that's how it's always been for me.”

In September that year, he made an appearance on the Paul Pod podcast, where he reflected on his struggles with addiction, as well as the first time he overdosed in 2007 that prompted him to start his sober journey the following year:

“I remember when I first got sober and all the s--t was out of my system,” he said. “I remember just being really happy and everything was f--king new to me again.”

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Eminem has yet to issue a statement about the lawsuit, and so does Meta.

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