Eight Mile Style vs. Meta: The $109 Million Copyright Battle Over Eminem’s Hits

In a high-profile clash between artistic ownership and Big Tech, Eight Mile Style — the company that owns the rights to some of Eminem’s biggest hits — has filed suit against Meta, alleging widespread and unauthorized use of the rapper’s music across Facebook and Instagram.

Filed in federal court in Michigan, the lawsuit accuses Meta of storing, reproducing, and distributing Eminem’s compositions without obtaining the necessary licenses. Eight Mile Style, based in Ferndale, Michigan, is seeking more than $109 million in damages and an injunction to stop the alleged infringement.

At the heart of the suit is a familiar issue for artists in the digital age: how to protect creative works in an ecosystem designed to prioritize virality and user engagement — often at the expense of proper licensing. The complaint paints a picture of a trillion-dollar company profiting from artists’ work without permission, stating that Meta has “exploited the creative efforts of musical artists for the obscene monetary benefit of its executives and shareholders.”

Meta, for its part, says it has an extensive global music licensing program and claims it had been negotiating “in good faith” with Eight Mile Style before the lawsuit was filed. But the lawsuit contends that Meta not only failed to secure valid licenses — including attempting to do so from a third party without authority — but also knowingly hosted and encouraged infringing uses of Eminem’s songs. That includes covers, karaoke tracks, and instrumental versions that remained available to millions of users even after Meta removed some original recordings.

The scale of potential infringement is staggering: the lawsuit alleges Eminem’s music has been added to millions of user videos that have collectively garnered billions of views.

This is not the first time Meta (then Facebook) has faced heat over Eminem’s catalog. In 2013, the company was sued over the unauthorized use of “Under the Influence” in a promotional video.

As music and tech continue to collide, this case raises pressing questions about how intellectual property rights are honored — or ignored — in the age of social media. For artists and rights holders, it is a stark reminder that platforms built on user content must still play by the rules when that content includes copyrighted work.

We will be following this case closely as it unfolds.