Eminem Sues Apple Over Downloads

Eminem

EMINEM's music publisher filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against APPLE INC. on MONDAY (7/30), alleging APPLE violated copyrights by allowing unauthorized downloads of the DETROIT rapper's songs onto iPODS, reports THE DETROIT NEWS.

A top CALIFORNIA entertainment lawyer, OWEN SLOANE of BERGER KAHN, said the EMINEM lawsuit is likely a sign of more to come in the music industry, as artists and those with the rights to their compositions fight for a bigger share of revenues from the burgeoning music download industry.

"There are a number of unresolved issues," said SLOANE, who has negotiated recording deals for artists such as ELTON JOHN, KENNY ROGERS and BONNIE RAITT. "You're going to see more of these suits."

Typically, APPLE collects 99 cents each time an IPOD owner downloads a song, with APPLE paying 70 cents of that amount to the recording label, SLOANE said. The recording label, in turn, typically pays 9.1 cents to the music publisher, he said.

In their complaint, EMINEM's music publisher and copyright manager, EIGHT MILE STYLE LLC and MARTIN AFFILIATED LLC, allege that although APPLE pays a portion of the revenues it collects from EMINEM downloads to UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP, EIGHT MILE STYLE and MARTIN AFFILIATED have never authorized UNIVERSAL to allow the downloads.

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