Aside from receiving hate and praise for his epic anti-Trump freestyle, Eminem has won a three-year court battle for copyright infringement against a New Zealand political party that used a song in its campaign ads that was strikingly similar to the rapper’s 2002 hit single, “Lose Yourself” from his semi-autobiographical film, 8 Mile.
High Court Judge Helen Cull on Wednesday ordered the conservative National Party to pay the Detroit rapper's publisher 600,000 New Zealand dollars ($415,000) plus interest, reports Billboard.
“We think it’s a very strong judgment, and a cautionary tale for people who make or use sound-alikes around the world,” said Adam Simpson, a Sydney-based lawyer who represented Eminem publisher Eight Mile Style. “We hope that we see more original music in advertising as a result, and that writers get properly acknowledged and rewarded for their hard work.”
Eight Mile Style publisher Joel Martin expressed his anger towards the defense’s argument saying that “Lose Yourself” wasn’t original because it used the same chords as other songs. “They could have said anything but question its originality,” he said.
The case was first filed in 2014 and at that time, lawmaker Steven Joyce defended the use of the song and explained the decision as being “pretty legal,” as he said the party purchased the music legally from an Australia-based library that provided it from a U.S. supplier.
John Oliver even did a bit on the case:
In other music news, Tommy Genesis bares all in nearly-NSFW “Tommy” video.
