Eminem's song publisher is suing Facebook accusing the company of unlawfully copying music from one of the Grammy award-winner's songs, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Eight Mile Style, Eminem's publisher, filed a federal lawsuit in Detroit on Monday alleging that a Facebook advertisement used music from Eminem's song "Under the Influence."
The Free Press reported the ad was originally broadcasted online in late April, and it highlighted a webcast by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg introducing "Facebook Home," a new interface for Android phones.
The commercial was subsequently replaced by a new ad using different music, and attorneys declared the initial version of the ad isn't available to the public anymore. The new version is available on the web and has also appeared on television.
This isn't the first time that the rapper's publisher has been involved in legal issues; the group has been awarded in at least two prior instances for similar accusations.
In 2005, Eight Mile Style reached a settlement with Apple after the publisher accused Apple of using Eminem's hit song "Lose Yourself" without consent in a commercial for Apple's iPod. According to the Free Press, Audi also reached a similar settlement for using a song similar to the same song, "Lose Yourself" in 2011.
Eight Mile Style had reportedly directly protested to the ad agency in April about the music in question. The Free Press acquired a response from the attorney's representing Wieden+Kennedy disputing that Eight Mile Style shouldn't have had the ability to obtain a copyright, arguing that the Eminem song passage had been copied from Michael Jackson's song "Give In to Me."
Wieden+Kennedy, ironically, is the same firm that was on the side of Eminem and Eight Mile Style when Chrysler used an approved version of "Lose Yourself" for a commercial in 2011.
