Eight Mile Style's lawsuit accuses Meta of multiple copyright violations including "copyright infringement, inducement of copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement and vicarious copyright infringement."12 The publishing company alleges that Meta knowingly made Eminem's songs available through its "Music Libraries" feature, allowing users to incorporate these tracks as "Original Audio" and "Reels Remix" without proper licensing.3 A key argument in the lawsuit emphasizes that Meta cannot claim Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) safe harbor protection because the company actively stores and distributes the music rather than merely hosting user-uploaded content.4

The legal filing notes that Meta previously attempted to negotiate licensing for Eight Mile Style's catalog through Audiam, a digital music royalty collection firm, in 2020 but was unsuccessful.23 Despite Eight Mile Style's previous complaints that led Meta to remove some songs (including "Lose Yourself"), the lawsuit claims the company "continues to host unauthorized cover and instrumental versions" of the removed tracks and has "reproduced and stored unauthorized unlicensed copies."53 The publishing company has requested a jury trial in addition to monetary damages.5

Instagram's Reels Remix feature allows users to creatively collaborate with existing content on the platform. Introduced as part of Meta's push to compete with TikTok, Remix enables users to respond to or build upon other creators' content by filming reactionary videos that appear alongside the original.12 Initially limited to Reels, Meta expanded the functionality in 2022 to include public photos and all video content, automatically enabling the feature by default while giving users the option to disable it in their settings.34

The feature offers multiple creative layouts including green screen, horizontal or vertical split-screen, and picture-in-picture reaction views.3 Users can enhance their Remixes with various editing tools such as speed adjustments, music additions, voiceovers, effects, stickers, and text.1 This functionality represents Meta's strategy to foster more interactive content creation, potentially helping creators reach wider audiences as remixed content gains visibility across the platform.2 For Eminem and other artists, this feature's implementation without proper licensing agreements forms part of the basis for copyright infringement claims against Meta.

Meta's alleged copyright infringement of Eminem's music potentially strips the company of Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) safe harbor protections, which typically shield platforms from liability for user-uploaded content. The lawsuit specifically argues that Meta cannot claim these protections because it actively reproduced and stored Eminem's compositions in its online music libraries before distributing them for users to incorporate into their content12. This represents direct infringement rather than merely hosting infringing material, as Meta "encouraged billions of users" to use Eminem's music "willfully and without a licence"2.

The legal complaint further alleges that Meta had "actual knowledge" of the copyright violations yet continued to promote unauthorized usage despite lacking necessary permissions34. While social media platforms could previously claim DMCA protection when users uploaded unlicensed music independently, this defense weakens significantly when platforms actively build audio libraries into their apps to facilitate music insertion into videos2. Eight Mile Style's lawsuit emphasizes this distinction, positioning Meta's actions as "knowing, rampant infringement" rather than passive hosting that would qualify for safe harbor protection1.