Spotify has emerged victorious in a significant legal battle against Eight Mile Style, the publisher of rap icon Eminem. The lawsuit, filed in 2019, accused Spotify of illegally streaming Eminem’s music, including major hits like “Lose Yourself,” without proper licenses. The publisher claimed that Spotify had made these tracks available billions of times, allegedly resulting in unpaid royalties.

In a recent ruling, Judge Aleta A. Trauger dismissed the case, criticizing Eight Mile Style for attempting to exploit the situation for financial gain rather than addressing the issue directly. The judge pointed out that Eight Mile Style was aware of the streaming activities for years but chose to delay legal action to build a more profitable case.

Judge Trauger’s decision highlighted that while Spotify had mishandled composer copyrights, Eight Mile Style had the opportunity to rectify the situation but instead allowed the infringement to continue, likely to secure higher damages. The ruling underscored that any legitimate claims for damages should come from those who were genuinely harmed, not those who strategically allowed infringement for financial benefit.

The ruling also addressed the broader context of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), enacted in 2018 to streamline licensing for streamers and protect them from such lawsuits. The judge avoided delving into the constitutionality of the MMA but noted that Eight Mile Style’s attempt to challenge the Act was part of a strategy to maximize settlement amounts.

Eight Mile Style’s claims against Spotify were rejected, and the publisher was found to have acted unfairly in the lawsuit. Furthermore, Judge Trauger indicated that if the claims had been valid, the liability would likely have fallen on Kobalt, a company that had licensed the Eminem tracks to Spotify and agreed to cover any related legal issues.

The ruling concluded that Kobalt might need to cover Spotify’s legal expenses due to the extensive litigation, though this will be settled in future proceedings.