It’s a rap: Eminem lawsuit against New Zealand party ends
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Turn up the volume, the judge told the lawyers in a case involving an Eminem song: “I’m not shy of loud music.”
It was one of many incongruous moments during a two-week trial that ended Friday at the High Court in Wellington. The judge may not rule for months in the case in which music publishers for the Detroit rapper are suing New Zealand’s ruling conservative political party for copyright infringement.
The judge and phalanx of gowned lawyers listened studiously to plenty of profanity-laced rap. They also listened for similarities between such classic songs as “La Bamba” and “Twist and Shout.”
At issue is the National Party’s use of the song “Eminem Esque” in a 2014 television campaign ad that was run 186 times before it was pulled off the air. Eminem’s publishers Eight Mile Style say the track is a rip-off of the rapper’s acclaimed 2002 song “Lose Yourself,” while the party says the song was inspired by the rapper’s hit but is different.