Sep 06, 2024 11:30:00

Spotify wins five-year legal battle with Eminem over music streaming rights

In a lawsuit filed by music publisher Eight Mile Style against Spotify for copyright infringement, alleging that 'hundreds of

Eminem 's songs have been distributed without permission,' a federal court ruled on August 15, 2024, that Spotify was not liable for the copyright infringement.

Spotify just won a long-running lawsuit over streaming of Eminem's catalog – despite the court finding it didn't have a license for the music. What does this mean for publishers? - Music Business Worldwide
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-just-won-a-long-running-lawsuit-over-streaming-of-eminems-catalog-despite-the-court-finding-it-didnt-have-a-license-for-the-music-what-does-this-mean-for-publisher/

Eminem Publisher Legal Battle Over Music Licenses Ends in Spotify Win

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eminem-spotify-copyright-infringement-case-ends-1235095709/

Eminem loses five-year legal battle with Spotify over music streaming rights | Euronews
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/09/05/eminem-loses-five-year-legal-battle-with-spotify-over-music-streaming-rights

In 2019, Eminem filed a lawsuit against Spotify, alleging that 243 songs were distributed on Spotify through publisher Eight Mile Style without being properly licensed. Eight Mile Style said, 'Even though Eminem's songs have been streamed billions of times, Spotify has not paid Eight Mile Style a proper fee, but has sent a random amount based on some criteria,' and sought $40 million in damages from Spotify for willful copyright infringement.

However, in 2020, Spotify claimed that 'we obtained a license to reproduce and distribute the songs from Kobalt Music Group , which represents Eight Mile Style,' and that 'Spotify has entered into a 'mechanical license agreement' directly with Kobalt Music Group, in which Kobalt Music Group agrees to indemnify Spotify against any claims by third parties alleging infringement of their rights.'

Spotify then alleged that Kobalt Music Group was negligent, stating that 'in fact, Kobalt Music Group did not acquire the rights to Eminem's songs from Eight Mile Style' and 'Kobalt Music Group misled us into believing that, as the company that manages the rights to Eminem's songs, it had the right to allow Spotify to stream his songs.'

The lawsuit was then litigated between Eight Mile Style, Spotify, and Kobalt Music Group.

On August 15, 2024, Tennessee Federal Judge Aleta Trauger ruled in favor of Spotify, finding that 'Spotify did not in fact have a license to stream Eminem's songs, but Spotify is not liable to Eight Mile Styles for lost royalties.'

Judge Trauger also argued that while Eight Mile Style had granted Kobalt Music Group the authority to

collect royalties, it did not grant them the authority to license the songs, and that the actual licenses were transferred to a company called Bridgeport Music , which had a partnership with Eight Mile Style, and that Eight Mile Group had intentionally not informed Spotify of this. Judge Trauger stated, 'Eight Mile Style is not simply an 'unfortunate victim' in this case.'

Judge Trauger further pointed out that 'Eight Mile Style created a complex web of copyrights that threw the licensing landscape into disarray, allowing the rights of the songs to be infringed in what can only be considered a strategy to fabricate damages claims. Even if Spotify were to be ordered to pay damages for streaming songs without a proper license, penalties against Kobalt Music Group would certainly be imposed.'