Spotify has won a significant legal battle against Eight Mile Style, the co-publisher of 242 Eminem tracks, in a mechanical licensing lawsuit that began in 2019.

The case centered on Eight Mile Style's allegations that Spotify streamed Eminem's songs without proper mechanical licenses. Interestingly, while the court found that Spotify didn't have proper licensing, they still ruled in Spotify's favor.

Key points of the case:

• Eight Mile Style sued Spotify in August 2019, claiming unlicensed streaming of 242 Eminem tracks
• Eminem himself was reportedly unaware of the lawsuit before it was filed
• The lawsuit challenged aspects of the Music Modernization Act (MMA)
• Spotify brought Kobalt Music Group into the lawsuit as a third-party defendant

Judge Aleta A. Trauger's ruling revealed that Eight Mile Style had attempted to exploit complicated ownership structures for financial gain. The court found that Spotify had been paying royalties through Kobalt since 2011, but ownership complications arose when rights were transferred to Bridgeport in 2009 without proper notification.

The verdict concludes that:

• Spotify is not required to pay damages for copyright infringement
• Kobalt must pay reasonable attorney's fees and expenses
• The complex nature of music industry licensing contributed to legitimate confusion about rights ownership

This case highlights the ongoing challenges in music rights administration and the complexities of mechanical licensing in the streaming era, while setting an important precedent for future licensing disputes in the music industry.

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