Deadline Looming, Apple And Eminem Try To Settle

Deadline Today To Avoid Court

APPLE is involved in talks with EMINEM as the company attempts to avert a costly and potentially embarrassing court battle with the rap star. U.K.'s THE GUARDIAN reports "the two groups are attempting to broker a settlement ahead of the WEDNESDAY deadline, amid claims that APPLE has wrongly made as much as $2.5m from unauthorized sales of the DETROIT rapper's songs through iTUNES. If a deal is not reached by the end of the day, the case will go before a federal court in MICHIGAN in a non-jury trial set to open on THURSDAY."

The case revolves around the availability of 93 EMINEM songs through iTUNES, which EMINEM says were not authorized for sale as digital downloads. EIGHT MILE STYLE, his publishing company, filed a lawsuit in 2005 alleging that APPLE and record company AFTERMATH had infringed its copyright by agreeing a deal to sell the music online.

"EIGHT MILE and MARTIN have not provided that permission," says the complaint. "Therefore, APPLE's reproduction and distribution of the digital transmissions via iTUNES constitutes a continuing and willful, infringement of EIGHT MILE's and MARTIN's copyright interests."

APPLE has denied the allegations and said that its deal with AFTERMATH is legal.

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