Why did Eminem sue a Michigan Ford dealership? Lawsuit explored

On Monday, January 27, rapper Eminem's publisher, Eight Mile Style, filed a lawsuit against a Michigan Ford dealership named LaFontaine Ford St. Clair. According to the complaint, the dealership apparently used his popular 2002 song, Lose Yourself, in an ad without proper authorization.

According to reports by TMZ, the ad was meant to promote a limited edition custom Detroit Lions F-150 pickup. The outlet further confirmed that Eminem's publisher, Eight Mile Style, reportedly has control over his first catalog.

The ad reportedly did not just use the audio of the aforementioned song but also included a caption that read:

"You only get one shot to own a Special Edition Detroit Lions F-150... With only 800 produced, you only get one shot to own a Special Edition Detroit Lions 2024 PowerBoost Hybrid F-150."

According to TMZ, the complainant argued in the Detroit federal court that the song was a big hit and generated massive sales. Thus, it was unfair for the dealership to make unauthorized use of the same for their advertisement.

Detroit Free Press further reported that the complainant had sought an injunction against the video clip and damage relief of at least $150,000. They have also clarified that neither the rapper nor Eight Mile Style were associated with any service offered by the dealership. The filling read:

"Neither (p)laintiffs nor Eminem have agreed to be affiliated with or endorse the goods or services of LaFontaine."

TMZ even tried reaching out to LaFontaine Ford St. Clair. However, no response has been received as of now. Max Muncey, head of corporate communications for the LaFontaine Automotive Group, has, however, mentioned that they would issue an official response to the complaint.

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2002 track Lose Yourself got Eminem an Academy Award for Best Original Song back in 2003

As mentioned before, the 2002 track was massively popular and garnered huge traction. It also won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003 and two Grammys (Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance Solo) in 2004.

For the unversed, this track belonged to the 52-year-old rapper's 2002 drama film 8 Mile. As per reports by Eminem.Pro, dated October 2024, the song made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed in the position for about 12 weeks.

The outlet further mentioned that as of October last year, the song had been streamed about 2.3 billion times on Spotify, and about 17.5 million albums were sold. During the same time, former President Barack Obama also rapped the verses of Lose Yourself, at Kamala Harris' rally in Detroit. Obama even complimented the rapper then. He said:

"I thought Eminem was going to be performing, I was going to jump out. Love me some Eminem."

No additional details about the aforementioned complaint have been revealed as of now. Further information regarding the same is awaited. Previously, Eight Mile Style had been in a legal rift with companies like Apple and Audi for the commercial usage of the song.