Eminem publisher sues Apple

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 01 August 2007 04:01

Business IT - Technology

Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated, Eminem's music publisher and copyright manager, have launched a lawsuit against Apple claiming the company is not authorised to offer the performer's recordings for download from the iTunes Store.

The matter was reported by the Detroit News.

It appears to be a case of Apple being caught in the crossfire in a disagreement between Eminem's companies and record label Universal Music Group. While Apple has a deal with Universal (admittedly one that has cooled in recent months) and pays royalties to Eminem via Universal, the suit claims that Universal did not have Eight Mile Style's or Martin Affiliated's permission to authorise online sales.

The case appears to mirror the one in which Dawg Music, a small record label, alleges that Universal and Warner arranged online distribution of its catalogue without obtaining consent.

As usual, money is the issue. A central part of the underlying dispute seems to be whether downloads should be treated similarly to CD sales with the artist and publisher receiving a small royalty on each, or as a licensing deal which would mean they receive a much larger share.

A previous dispute between Eminem and Apple - arising from the latter's use of an Eminem track in a TV commercial - was settled out of court.