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16 September 2014Copyright

Eminem sues New Zealand’s leading political party for ‘using his work’

US rapper Eminem is suing the leading political party in New Zealand for allegedly using his hit song Lose Yourself in a campaign video.

Eminem’s representatives, Detroit-based Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC, have claimed the New Zealand National Party broke copyright laws in a campaign video released to coincide with this month’s election.

The pair filed a lawsuit against the political group at the Wellington High Court, today (September 16), according to The New Zealand Herald.

Joel Martin, manager of Eminem’s publishing company, said in a statement that Eminem was never approached for permission to use his work in the campaign, which features music similar to the tune of the Grammy Award-winning Lose Yourself.

“It is both disappointing and sadly ironic that the political party responsible for championing the rights of music publishers in New Zealand by the introduction of the three strikes copyright reforms should itself have so little regard for copyright,” Martin said.

The National Party denied it had infringed the rapper’s song and said that the backing to use the track came from an Australian-based production outfit.

It added that it had changed the original music around two weeks ago but that it had still not satisfied the plaintiff.

The advert depicts a boat filled with people rowing together, in an attempt to symbolise unity.

In 2010, the National Party introduced a three strikes-type regime to tackle online file sharing. If a persistent file sharer gets three warnings, sent out by internet service providers at the request of right holders, they can be taken to a copyright tribunal.

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More on this story

Copyright
2 May 2017   A copyright infringement case involving Eminem and New Zealand’s governing party is being heard at the High Court of New Zealand this week.
Copyright
25 October 2017   US rapper Eminem has secured NZ$600,000 ($412,896) in damages from New Zealand’s National Party after the political outfit ripped off his song “Lose Yourself”.