This marks the second time Apple finds itself on the opposite side of a courtroom from the Detroit rapper. (A previous lawsuit involved improper use of Eminem\u2019s hit single \u201cLose Yourself\u201d in an iTunes ad.)<\/p>\n The iTunes era didn\u2019t just change how people bought music \u2014 it scrambled the rules for who got paid when they did. As Apple turned digital downloads into a multibillion-dollar business, artists, publishers and record labels found themselves navigating a shifting landscape of licensing deals. Eminem\u2019s legal fight with Apple put that transition under a microscope, raising a deceptively simple question with complicated answers: When a song becomes a digital file, who actually has the right to sell it?<\/p>\n The iTunes Music Store case dated back to July 2007, when Eight Mile Style first sued Apple. The publisher alleged that digital rights to Eminem\u2019s catalog had been sold without proper approval.<\/p>\n Apple had signed a contract with Aftermath Entertainment, a label founded by Dr. Dre (who later joined Apple, thanks to the company\u2019s $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics<\/a> in 2014). Apple thought the deal included Eminem\u2019s digital sales rights. However, Eight Mile Style lawyers said an unusual clause in Eminem\u2019s contract required a separate deal for digital sales. Such a deal never got hammered out.<\/p>\n Eight Mile Style requested $2.58 million, which it claimed Apple made from sales of Eminem\u2019s music. The publisher also asked for $150,000 per infringement in damages, adding up to $14 million.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s lawyers, meanwhile, revealed that the company paid Aftermath 70 cents per download and Eight Mile Style 9.1 cents (and that both continued to cash their checks).<\/p>\n In the end, Apple and Eminem settled out of court<\/a>, just as with the previous lawsuit over the \u201cLose Yourself\u201d ad. The news was significant, however, because \u2014 just like Apple\u2019s legal battles with The Beatles<\/a> \u2014 it highlighted the new challenges Cupertino faced as a major player in the music industry.<\/p>\n Later, Apple and Eminem got back on good terms. As mentioned, Em\u2019s mentor, Dr. Dre, became involved with Apple through the Beats acquisition. And Eminem appeared on Beats 1 radio<\/a> in 2015 to promote his work.<\/p>\n![\"September](\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/SEP24.jpg\" "\\"SEP24\\"")
September 24, 2009:<\/strong> After Eminem sues Apple, the company\u2019s lawyers head to court to defend Cupertino against the rapper\u2019s music publisher, Eight Mile Style. The lawsuit alleges that Apple unlawfully sold 93 of Eminem\u2019s songs on the iTunes Music Store<\/a>.<\/p>\nApple vs. Eminem: Legal battle over iTunes Music Store<\/h2>\n
Apple settles after Eminem sues over digital sales<\/h3>\n