The publishing company, Eight Mile Style, is voluntarily dropping its lawsuit against LaFontaine Ford St. Clair for copyright infringement, according to a new report from Billboard. They had accused the company, which owns car several dealerships near Detroit, of using Eminem's iconic song, “Lose Yourself,” in TikTok videos to promote a special edition truck without permission.
They gave no explanation for the decision in court on Monday. Howard Hertz, an attorney for Eight Mile Style, later told Billboard in a statement: “The composition, ‘Lose Yourself,’ was wrongfully used without a license. The parties have resolved the matter and the video containing the musical composition at issue in the action has been removed from all platforms on which it was posted.”
Eight Mile Style originally filed the case back in January. They own the copyright to the song, among other classics by Eminem. The rapper, however, doesn't own the company and had no involvement in the lawsuit. “This is an action for willful copyright infringement … against LaFontaine for its unauthorized use of the composition in online advertisements for one or more car dealerships in blatant disregard of the exclusive rights vested in Eight Mile,” the company’s attorneys wrote at the time of filing.
Eminem's "8 Mile"
Eminem released "Lose Yourself" back in 2002, as the lead single from the soundtrack for his film, 8 Mile. Both the song and the film were massive commercial successes. "Lose Yourself" became Eminem's first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single and spent twelve consecutive weeks atop the chart. It ended up becoming the first hip-hop song to ever win the Academy Award for Best Original Song while it also helped Eminem take home the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance.
In other news, Eminem's new Shady Films-produced documentary, STANS, will be premiering at the SXSW London Screen Festival on June 2. Named after Eminem's hit song, "Stan," the film will explore the pyschology of musicians' most devoted fans. Those not in attendance at SXSW will be able to see the film on Paramount+, later this year.
