Eminem’s Publisher Sues Detroit’s Ford Dealer Center for Using “Lose Yourself” in Ads

Publisher sues car dealership

The musical publisher of Eminem has filed a lawsuit against a Detroit car dealership for the unauthorized use of “Lose Yourself” in their advertising.

Details of the lawsuit

The track, which was penned by Marshall Mathers, Jeffrey Bass, and Louis Resto for the 2002 film 8 Mile, has achieved remarkable success, having reached 13 times platinum since its release and winning the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2003.

This is not the first instance involving copyright issues, as the song was previously at the center of a lawsuit against the National Party in New Zealand, which was found guilty in 2017 and ordered to pay £314,000 (plus interest) to Eminem’s publishing company.

In current developments, a lawsuit has been filed in a federal court in Detroit, alleging the unauthorized use of the song.

The legal representatives from 8 Mile Style, LLC and Martin Affialiated, LLC accused Lafontaine Ford St. Clair, Inc. of using “Lose Yourself” in their online advertising for a special edition Detroit Lions F-150 dubbed “8 Mile.”

According to the claim filed on Monday (January 27), the advertisement ran on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and possibly others from September to October 2024.

The disputed video allegedly featured the song paired with the message: “You only get one shot to own the special edition of the Detroit Lions F-150.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfyqqaoz7y

Lawyer Howard Hertz stated in the lawsuit, “The actions of Lafontaine usurped the exclusive rights of the plaintiffs to determine when and under what conditions the composition can be used for commercial purposes and advertising,” as reported by Detroit News. “Additionally, Lafontaine’s illegal actions have significantly diminished the future value of the composition if the plaintiffs wish to make it available for future commercial licensing.”

8 Mile Style is seeking damages of at least $150,000 through the lawsuit, which also requests that the district judge Gershvin declare Lafontaine in violation of the copyright, order the dealership to cease and desist, and compensate the plaintiffs for actual losses and profits resulting from the copyright infringement.

Hertz emphasized, “At no time did I receive permission from Lafontaine or a license, as required by law, to record, play, perform, transmit, copy, use, or exploit the composition for any purpose.”

NME has reached out to Lafontaine Ford St. Clair, Inc. for comments.

Recent news on Eminem

In other Eminem news, last year he released his latest album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâs).” In a three-star review of the album, NME noted: “The track ‘Temporary’ is a sincerely touching ode to his daughter, Hailie, proving that Marshall Mathers can articulate something that truly matters when he chooses to.”

“So, who killed Slim Shady? By bringing him back into the light and showing him irrelevant, perhaps Eminem has laid his old friend to rest. Now that he is gone, what about new material?”