’s publisher has filed a copyright lawsuit against Facebook and Instagram owner Meta over unauthorised use of over 200 songs, according to a report by Rolling Stones.The lawsuit was filed by Eight Mile Style, which administers Eminem’s early catalogue release, on May 30. The Lose Yourself fame rapper is not personally involved in the suit, he clarified in a separate statement.

The lawsuit alleges that Meta violated the copyright of 243 songs from Eminem’s catalogue through the “unauthorised storage, reproduction and exploitation” of the tracks on its platforms.

“This case involves Meta’s knowing infringement of the Eight Mile Compositions by first reproducing and storing them in Meta’s online Music Libraries, and then distributing them for users to select and incorporate into their own photos and videos made available for public streaming on the users’ WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram accounts,” the report cited the complaint as saying.

The publishing house added that the social media apps’ features, including Original Audio and Reels on Instagram, were tools that “allow and encourage its users to steal” Eminem’s music to use in video content “without proper attribution or license”, the report said.

The company has demanded monetary damages for “the diminished value of the copyrights by defendants’ theft of them, lost profits, and defendants’ profits attributable to the infringement,” the report said. It is seeking maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for wilful copyright infringement for each of the 243 titles, amounting to $109.35 million.

In response to the lawsuit, a Meta spokesperson told the publication that it has licenses with thousands of partners and an extensive global licensing program for music on its platforms. Meta had been negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style, but rather than continue those discussions, Eight Mile Style chose to sue, the spokesperson added.The fresh lawsuit comes after Eight Mile Style lost its five-year-long copyright legal battle against Spotify last September due to a legal loophole.