Eminem producers lose case over iTunes royalties

FBT Productions, a Detroit-based firm that helped launch Eminem’s career, has lost a lawsuit against Universal Music Group over royalties from iTunes and ringtone sales. FBT argued that Eminem is entitled to half the net receipts the record company gets for the downloads, rather than his standard royalties from record sales. A jury in Los Angeles rejected those claims, while awarding the producers $159,000 on a separate claim that UMG had misallocated royalties between them and Eminem. FBT Productions had asked for $1.47 million in damages for underpaid royalties from downloads and ringtones; Eminem wasn’t a party in the case. This suit is separate from a lawsuit filed last year by Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC, music publisher and copyright manager for rap artist Eminem, claiming Apple violated copyrights by allowing unauthorized sales of the artist’s works.