Eminem has won a copyright infringement case against the New Zealand National Party.
The political party used a song similar to his 2002 hit single Lose Yourself in an election campaign advertisement, and now they’ve been ordered to pay the rapper’s publisher NZ$600,000 in damages.
The track they used was titled Eminem Esque, which had a very similar melody and rhythm to Lose Yourself – and lawyers claimed that they bought the track from a stock music library.
The court ruling stated, “Eminem Esque has substantially copied Lose Yourself. The differences between the two works are minimal; the close similarities and the indiscernible differences in drum beat, the ‘melodic line’ and the piano figures make Eminem Esque strikingly similar to Lose Yourself.”
According to Billboard, the lawyer who represented Eminem publisher Eight Mile Style Adam Simpson said, “We think it’s a very strong judgment, and a cautionary tale for people who make or use sound-alikes around the world.”
“We hope that we see more original music in advertising as a result, and that writers get properly acknowledged and rewarded for their hard work.”
Lose Yourself is one of Eminem’s most popular tracks, and even won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003 after it featured on the soundtrack for his film 8 Mile. It also won a Grammy for best rap song in 2004.
