- LaFontaine Ford St. Clair faces a lawsuit for using Eminem’s song in promotional content.
- The dealership allegedly didn’t secure the necessary ‘synch’ license for using the song.
- Eminem’s publishing company seeks $150,000 in damages and an injunction against the ad.
A Michigan Ford dealership group is facing a copyright lawsuit over its use of Eminem’s Lose Yourself in social media videos promoting a special-edition Ford F-150 Hybrid. The lawsuit, filed by Eminem’s publishing company, Eight Mile Style, claims that the LaFontaine Ford St. Clair dealer used the song without permission in marketing content tied to the Detroit Lions-themed truck.
According to the lawsuit, videos posted on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook in September and October 2024 featured Lose Yourself as background music. The posts reportedly referenced the song’s well-known lyrics, telling potential buyers they would “only get one shot” to purchase the limited-run F-150 Hybrid, which was restricted to 800 units.
Read: Eminem Is The Real Slim Shady In Legal Battle With Audi Over “Lose Yourself” Ad
While popular songs are frequently used in short-form content published to sites like TikTok and Instagram, these soundtracks cannot be used for commercial or promotional videos from brands, Billboard reports. Companies looking to use music for these purposes need to acquire a ‘synch’ license beforehand, just as they would if they were running a TV advertisement.
“This is an action for willful copyright infringement … against LaFontaine for its unauthorized use of the composition in online advertisements for one or more car dealerships in blatant disregard of the exclusive rights vested in Eight Mile,” attorneys said in the lawsuit.
The publisher added that “neither plaintiffs nor Eminem have agreed to be affiliated with or endorse the goods or services of LaFontaine.” They are seeking an injunction against the video and damages of at least $150,000.
Previous Disputes
Eight Mile Style has fiercely defended the copyright of Eminem’s music on several occasions in the past. Perhaps the most famous case came in 2016 when it filed a lawsuit against New Zealand’s National Party after it used a song mimicking ‘Lose Yourself’ as part of a promotional campaign for the 2014 federal election. The political party was found to have breached copyright and ordered to pay NZD$600,000 in damages, although this was later reduced to NZD$225,000 on appeal.
