Eight Mile Style, the music publishing company that controls much of Eminem’s early catalog, has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, accusing it of massive copyright infringement.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Eight Mile Style claims Meta “unauthorizedly stored, reproduced, and exploited” 243 of Eminem’s songs across its platforms through features like Original Audio and Reels Remix. The lawsuit alleges these tools encourage users to “steal Eight Mile Style’s music” for their own content without proper licensing or attribution.
The publisher, co-founded by Eminem’s longtime collaborators the Bass Brothers, controls the rapper’s works released between 1995 and 2005. While Eminem himself is not directly involved in the suit, Eight Mile Style argues that Meta’s alleged misuse of his catalog has led to “diminished value of the copyrights, lost profits, and profits attributable to the infringement.”
The company is seeking $150,000 per song, a total of more than $109 million, and has requested a jury trial.
In response, a Meta spokesperson said: “Meta has licenses with thousands of partners around the world and an extensive global licensing program for music on its platforms. Meta had been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style, but rather than continue those discussions, Eight Mile Style chose to sue.”
Court filings also claim that while some tracks were removed after previous complaints, Meta allegedly continued reproducing and storing unlicensed copies. Eight Mile Style emphasized in its complaint that Eminem’s songs “are some of the most valuable in the world, and Eight Mile Style is very protective of these iconic works.”