Eminem Licensing Lawsuit Slammed: Instagram & Facebook Call $110M Damages Claim ‘Fanciful’

Meta says there’s nary ground for Eminem’s euphony steadfast to assertion that “Lose Yourself” and different iconic tracks were made disposable to billions of users without permission, urging a national justice to disregard the suit that seeks an “eye-popping” $110 cardinal successful damages.  

Eight Mile Style, a publishing institution that owns 243 Eminem compositions, filed suit successful May against the juggernaut proprietor of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Eight Mile alleged that each 3 Meta platforms were hosting unlicensed versions of its songs successful their euphony libraries, which let users to easy adhd their favourite tracks to the photos and videos they post.

The steadfast is seeking the maximum statutory damages of $150,000 per lawsuit of infringement, which, multiplied by 243 songs and 3 platforms, adds up to a whopping $109.4 million. But Meta said successful a Thursday (Sept. 18) question to disregard the suit that portion Eight Mile’s ailment “is agelong connected rhetoric, it is remarkably abbreviated connected specifics.”

“Fanciful estimates are not a substitute for well-pleaded facts,” wrote Meta’s lawyers from the steadfast Mayer Brown. “Belying their extravagant claims, Eight Mile ne'er identifies a azygous illustration of an allegedly infringing station oregon communicative crossed immoderate of the 3 Meta services astatine issue.”

Meta says that Eight Mile’s nonaccomplishment to place circumstantial instances of alleged infringement should marque the lawsuit dormant connected arrival, since the societal media elephantine can’t beryllium expected to adequately support itself against specified generalized claims.  

Thursday’s question besides claims that, beyond these defects successful gathering the pleading standards, Eight Mile’s suit simply gets the facts wrong. Meta says it did, successful fact, person support to usage Eminem’s songs, per a broader licensing statement signed successful 2020 with Audiam, a integer rights postulation bureau that supposedly negotiated the woody connected behalf of Eight Mile.

“Far from showing ‘actual knowledge’ of infringement, these allegations alternatively amusement that the Audiam licenses covered the compositions — or, astatine minimum, the parties’ good-faith knowing that the licenses did,” constitute the Meta attorneys.

Lawyers for Eight Mile Style did not instantly instrumentality requests for remark connected the question connected Thursday. Eminem does not person immoderate ownership involvement successful the publishing institution and is not progressive successful the litigation.

Meta’s question to disregard argues that Eight Mile Style is “notoriously litigious,” and indeed, the steadfast is nary alien to copyright litigation. The institution spent years suing Spotify for allegedly failing to get due licenses for its songs, but a national justice threw retired the lawsuit successful a sharply captious ruling past year. Eight Mile Style is present appealing that decision.