Eminem Files Suit Over Cellular Ring Tones
DETROIT – Grammy-winning rapper Eminem’s publishing companies filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop his songs from being used as cell phone ring tones.
In the suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Michigan-based Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated are seeking a court order to prohibit five companies from selling Eminem song ring tones on the Internet.
Lawyers for the rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, said they also plan to sue karaoke companies that sell Eminem songs without getting the proper licenses.
“This is a big business. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” said Howard Hertz, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.
The companies named in the suit are Colorado-based Cellus USA, Georgia-based FanMobile, New York-based Nextones.com, New Jersey-based MyPhoneFiles and New Jersey-based MatrixM LLC.
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