Middle Aged Hasbin Eminem Sues New Zealand Ruling Party for Copyright Infringement

9/17/2014

SYDNEY – American rapper Eminem is suing New Zealand’s governing National Party for the unauthorized use of his song “Lose Yourself” in a campaign ad for the country’s upcoming general elections, the New Zealand Herald reported Tuesday. Campaign commercials for the polls set to be held on September 20, feature “Lose Yourself,” a song by Eminem that won an Oscar in 2003 in the category of best song for the movie “8 Miles.” Lawyers representing music publishers Eight Mile Style, LLC and Martin Affiliated filed the lawsuit in the courtrooms of Wellington, the newspaper said. It quoted a spokesman for the publishers who said it was “both disappointing and sadly ironic that the political party responsible for championing the rights of music publishers in New Zealand... should itself have so little regard for copyright.” Spokesperson Steven Joyce, representing the center-right National Party, denied that the party had committed illegal acts, and added that the lawsuit was “all a publicity stunt.”

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