Eminem sues Apple for iTunes music downloads

Author: Phil Cogar
Published: 3rd August 2007
Comments (18) Stumble
Maybe Eminem just doesn't like Apples. With two lawsuits filed, that appears to be the case.

Maybe Eminem just doesn't like Apples. With two lawsuits filed, that appears to be the case.

In an unusual twist of matters concerning lawsuits and music downloads, Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated, the music publisher and copyright manager for Eminem, has filed suit against Apple for copyright infringement over the company's iTunes music store download service.

The lawsuit falls on the tails of Apple announcing over three billion songs sold through its iTunes music store since its inception just four years ago and Universal not renewing its digital distribution contract with it.

Eight Mile Style is claiming that Universal Music, the record label that represents Eminem and various other artists, did not have permission to license the music to Apple for digital distribution. This suit against Apple, which is not the first brought forth by Eminem, seeks £36,900 for copyright infringement and up to £73,800 in damages for every time a song was downloaded.

It seems though that the dispute isn't over the actual downloading of the music itself but has more to do with the wording of the contract between Universal and Eminem. With digital distribution an unlikely vehicle for music sales as the time that the contract was signed, no provisions were made for it. This could open a can of worms for Apple, with the iTunes catalogue boasting more then five million songs, 500 movies, and 550 television shows. Just how many artists fall through this loophole is yet to been seen.

Should further contract provisions be made in artists' contracts to allow for the use of not-yet-developed technology, or are there some people who just can't have enough money? Let us know what you think over in the forums or in the comments section below.
Quote DougEdey 3rd August 2007, 09:05
£73k in damages for EACH download? I want to have a math degree that works like that. I'd make millions.
Quote Naberius 3rd August 2007, 09:38
Thats would total stupid amount of money if it ever happens, makes you think what the long term effects would be on apple.
Quote Queelis 3rd August 2007, 09:39
The silliest request I've seen so far. That'd probably give him billions. As if he was worth it :P
Quote bilbothebaggins 3rd August 2007, 09:48
Isn't Law strange??

Eminem <- contract with -> Universal <- contract with -> Apple
Now Eminem sues Apple ... interesting :?
Quote Hugo.B 3rd August 2007, 09:49
Quote:
That'd probably give him billions.
I guess he knows that only too well.
Quote naokaji 3rd August 2007, 10:00
if you got to the shop and buy a cd you pay what.... £10?... there are like 15 songs on it... that makes £0.66 damage and not £73k per song...
Quote DougEdey 3rd August 2007, 10:01
Quote:
Originally Posted by bilbothebaggins
Isn't Law strange??

Eminem <- contract with -> Universal <- contract with -> Apple
Now Eminem sues Apple ... interesting :?

Avoid the middle man... Otherwise Eminem would sue Universal, Universal would Sue apple.

But now, it'll be Eminem sues Apple, Apple sues Universal, Universal sues Eminem
Quote proxess 3rd August 2007, 11:01
Can I sue one of them? I want 73k sterlings a song as well!
Quote Loz 3rd August 2007, 11:25
£73,800 is approximately $150,000 which is, IIRC, the maximum amount allowed in situations such as this. That's the same figure the RIAA are fond of suing students for.
Quote Firehed 3rd August 2007, 13:10
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
£73k in damages for EACH download? I want to have a math degree that works like that. I'd make millions.
My thought exactly. How could someone possibly come up with such a stupidly high number? Like I've said from the outset of this, the most someone should have to pay for copyright infringement is the retail price plus enough extra that it's a deterrent to stealing and hoping for the best... and that deterrent isn't supposed to be PER SONG. I calculate that as 99c/track * number of tracks plus fifty bucks or so.
Quote Nexxo 3rd August 2007, 13:39
Emimem is not exactly a, shall we say, functional guy... you can put his lawsuit in the same category as that of the judge who sued a drycleaner for millions over a (temporarily) misplaced pair of pants.
Quote ChromeX 3rd August 2007, 13:43
Sounds to me like some is becoming broke!
Quote Mister_Tad 3rd August 2007, 13:45
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
Avoid the middle man... Otherwise Eminem would sue Universal, Universal would Sue apple.

But now, it'll be Eminem sues Apple, Apple sues Universal, Universal sues Eminem

That can't be right, the RIAA isn't suing anyone there
Quote completemadness 3rd August 2007, 14:27
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
£73k in damages for EACH download? I want to have a math degree that works like that. I'd make millions.
Is that figure not, £73k for every download of his songs ?
I don't believe you could sue £73 for each download of each song, you'd be talking about billions
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
Avoid the middle man... Otherwise Eminem would sue Universal, Universal would Sue apple.

But now, it'll be Eminem sues Apple, Apple sues Universal, Universal sues Eminem
it seems odd he can sue apple, i would have thought he would have to sue universal, as they liscenced his songs without his permission
And apple could sue universal for licensing them songs they don't have the licence for

I don't see how universal can sue anyone, their the ones who f**ked up
Quote Lowsidex2 3rd August 2007, 15:01
So what, did he wake up this morning and suddenly realize there was this thing called iPod and iTunes? He's an ass that purposely waited for as long as he could to rack up the counts and is now trying to cash in. He's a punk with a waning career hoping for one last score. Hope the judge bitch slaps him back across the railroad tracks.
Quote Arkanrais 3rd August 2007, 15:32
I can sorta see where he's coming from but 73k per song? he needs to take his head out of his ass.
then again I don't think it would be eminem himself but his lawyers asking/demanding that much money, and if you're asking that much, then it might make asking for a lower amount later seem less crazy than if he had asked for it strait up.
Quote completemadness 3rd August 2007, 15:40
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arkanrais
I can sorta see where he's coming from but 73k per song? he needs to take his head out of his ass.
as this has been said so much i thought i would re-read it
Quote:
and up to £73,800 in damages for every time a song was downloaded.
Im pretty sure that means £73k in total (so if his songs have been downloaded 73k times, thats £1 per song), not £73k for each song
Quote bloodcar 3rd August 2007, 16:27
The kicker is that apparently, Apple has been cutting cheques to Eight Mile Style for every download and they've been more then happy to take the money from Apple. Now I could understand if they weren't getting any money at all, but when they've been receiving money from Apple for a few years now, it just shows greed.

I think the biggest reason that Eminiem didn't sue Universal (and tbh, that's who the suit should have been filed against) is because that's Apple is a large company that isn't his record label and it will garner a lot of media attention. Personally, I don't listen to rap music and I'm just chalking him up on the list of bands that I just won't listen to anymore. He falls right into place behind Lars Ulrich from Metallica.
Log in

You are not logged in, please login with your forum account below. If you don't already have an account please register to start contributing.





Stats: 0.108 seconds