As reported by NME, Eminem’s music publisher Eight Mile Style, LLC and Martin Affiliated, LLC have filed a lawsuit against a Detroit car dealership for using “Lose Yourself” without permission in their advertisements.
The lawsuit claims that LaFontaine Ford St. Clair, Inc. used the song in online ads promoting special edition Detroit Lions F-150 trucks, violating Eight Mile Style’s exclusive rights.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday, January 27th, and Eight Mile Style is seeking an injunction to stop the video clip from circulating, as well as damages amounting to at least $150,000. The ads aired between September and October 2024 across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and possibly others.
The video at the center of the case allegedly featured the song with the caption, “You only get one shot to own a Special Edition Detroit Lions F-150.”
Lawyer Howard Hertz explained in the lawsuit, “LaFontaine’s actions undermined the plaintiffs’ exclusive rights to control when and how the composition may be used for commercial purposes and advertisements.”
He further argued that LaFontaine’s unauthorized use of the song could harm its future value, making it more difficult or less profitable for Eight Mile Style to license it for future commercial projects.
The publisher has asked U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain to confirm that LaFontaine infringed on Eight Mile Style’s copyright and to order the dealership to cease using the song and pay damages for the infringement.
The track, written by Marshall Mathers, Jeffrey Bass, and Louis Resto for the 2002 film 8 Mile, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and has been part of a previous copyright infringement case.
In 2017, the National Party in New Zealand was found guilty of a similar offense and was ordered to pay $600,000 to Eight Mile Style.
Additionally, in September, Eminem and Eight Mile Style were involved in another potential copyright infringement case against Spotify, but the ruling favored Spotify, which was not found liable.