USA: Eminem’s publishing company Eight Mile Style filed a lawsuit in Michigan federal court against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, alleging widespread copyright infringement. The claim, lodged on May 30, 2025, centers on 243 of Eminem’s songs, many from his early catalog (1995-2005), which Eight Mile alleges were used without permission in Meta’s “Music Libraries” and via user-generated content features like Original Audio, Reels, and Remixes. (People.com)
According to the lawsuit, Meta stored, reproduced, and allowed synchronization of those compositions with visual content on its platforms, even after certain songs were taken down following earlier complaints. Eight Mile Style asserts that the unauthorized use has been massive — millions of videos, billions of streams — leading to what they describe as a significant devaluation of their copyrights, lost profits, and revenues Meta is said to have earned through exploiting these works without license. (Music Business Worldwide)
Eight Mile Style is seeking statutory damages: $150,000 for each of the 243 songs, across all three Meta platforms, amounting to around $109.35 million. The lawsuit also requests a jury trial. Importantly, the filing clarifies that Eminem himself is not a named party to the suit — it is his publisher that is suing. (People.com)
Meta has responded by noting it has licensing agreements with many partners globally and said that it was negotiating with Eight Mile Style in good faith before litigation. Recently, Meta also filed a motion to dismiss parts of the suit, arguing that the complaint lacks sufficiently specific allegations regarding exactly which users, what posts, or which compositions were infringed, when, or by whom. They claim that many of Eight Mile’s claims are too vague to proceed. (Digital Music News)
