Culture

Apple V. Eminem: Last-Minute Talks Over Legal Dispute

by candice.tsuei | September 23, 2009 at 10:49 am

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Apple and rapper Eminem may be headed for trial if they are unable to resolve a lawsuit over whether Eminem's songs were allowed to be sold on iTuens. The representatives from both sides are reportedly holding last-minute talks to avert the costly court battle.

The case started as early as in 2005 when Eminem's publishing company Eight Mile Style filed a multimillion dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against Apple. The lawsuit revolves around 93 Eminem tracks, including Without Me, Soldier and Cleanin' Out My Closet, which were available for sale on iTunes.

Also being sued is Aftermath Records, which has control of Eminem recordings, and which Eight Mile Style claim had no right to enter agreements for digital downloads.

The suit claims that Apple made $2.5m (£1.5m) from selling Eminem's music, with Aftermath collecting a further $4m (£2.4m) that it was not entitled to.

In contrast, the defendants have said authorization for the downloads had been granted, and that Eminem's publisher has received "substantial royalties" on the songs, court papers show.

Four years have passed and a resolution has yet to surface. Now, both parties are attempting to broker a settlement ahead of the Wednesday deadline set by the court. If no deal is reached by the of the day, the case will go to a federal court in Michigan in a non-jury trial on Thursday.

It is unclear whether Eminem, whose given name is Marshall Mathers, would testify at a trial.