Detroit, USA — Renowned rapper Eminem, through his music publishing company Eight Mile Style, has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, for alleged copyright infringement, claiming compensation of over 109 million dollars.
According to the complaint, Meta allegedly used 243 songs from Eminem's catalog without authorization in features of its platforms such as Instagram Reels and Original Audio, allowing millions of users to access and reuse these tracks without official licenses.You may be interested in: Meta signs a 20-year agreement to purchase nuclear energy from Constellation Energy
The publishing house demands $150,000 for each infringed song, alleging that this practice has not only caused economic losses, but has also contributed to the devaluation of the artist's musical catalog, violating the copyright protected by law. Furthermore, it is alleged that Meta attempted to obtain the licenses through the company Audiam, Inc., but Eight Mile Style never authorized such access, which exacerbates the accusation of misuse. The lawsuit emphasizes that, although Meta has removed some content following previous complaints, multiple unauthorized versions of the songs still exist on its platforms. The publisher maintains that Mark Zuckerberg's company has fostered an environment in which protected music is freely used without the appropriate permissions, clearly violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).This case could set a key legal precedent on how digital platforms should handle copyrighted content in the era of user-generated content.