Kalani Tharanga, JadeTimes Staff
D.W.G. Kalani Tharanga is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Political Blogs.
Spotify Cleared of Liability in Eminem Royalties Dispute
After a five year legal battle, Spotify has been cleared of any liability in a lawsuit accusing the platform of streaming Eminem's music without proper licensing. The case, initiated in 2019 by the rapper's publisher, Eight Mile Style, sought approximately £30 million in damages, claiming the company failed to fully license hit songs like Lose Yourself and Without Me, which have been streamed billions of times.
However, Judge Aleta A. Trauger ruled that while Spotify did not have a license for some of Eminem's tracks, the company would not be held accountable for lost royalties. Instead, the judge found that Kobalt Music Group responsible for collecting royalties on behalf of Eight Mile Style could be liable if copyright infringement were proven. Kobalt had misrepresented its control over the administration of Eminem’s catalog, adding to the confusion around licensing.
Confusion Over Rights Administration in Streaming Era
The case has highlighted the complexities of managing music rights in the age of digital streaming. Eight Mile Style claimed Spotify "deceptively" streamed 243 Eminem songs without a valid license, while Spotify argued that Kobalt had failed to properly communicate which rights it controlled. Despite the rapper’s music continuing to stream on the platform throughout the trial, Eminem was not involved in the lawsuit and only became aware of the legal action after it was filed.
The judge criticized Eight Mile Style for not addressing licensing issues earlier, noting that the publisher never sent a cease and desist letter to Spotify. She suggested that the delay could have been a strategic move to extract higher payments, stating that Eight Mile Style seemed to prefer playing the "victim of infringement" rather than acting as a responsible licensor.
Spotify's contract with Kobalt, which lacked a detailed database of songs it could or could not stream, added to the confusion. However, the agreement protected Spotify against copyright claims on songs administered by Kobalt, leaving the music group potentially responsible for covering the legal fees accumulated over the course of the case.
