AceShowbiz - A significant legal development unfolded this week as a federal judge allowed a crucial copyright infringement claim filed by Eminem’s publisher to proceed against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The case, which could result in damages exceeding $109 million, centers on allegations that Meta unlawfully reproduced and stored 243 copyrighted musical compositions owned by Eight Mile Style, the music publishing company controlling a large share of Eminem’s catalog, without obtaining the necessary licenses.

On June 16, U.S. District Judge Brandy R. McMillion issued a ruling partially granting Meta's motion to dismiss several claims in the lawsuit. While the judge rejected three secondary liability claims—inducement, contributory infringement, and vicarious infringement—she allowed the core direct copyright infringement allegation to move forward.

The lawsuit, initially filed in May 2025 by Eight Mile Style alongside co-plaintiff Martin Affiliated LLC, accuses Meta of willfully infringing on hundreds of songs tied to Eminem. The plaintiffs seek injunctive relief and statutory damages, estimating that penalties could surpass $109 million if awarded at the highest level allowed under copyright law.

Meta had urged the court to dismiss the entire case, arguing that the plaintiffs failed to specify details about the alleged infringements. The company pointed out that only two songs were clearly identified, claiming it lacked sufficient information to mount an effective defense. However, Judge McMillion found this reasoning unconvincing.

In her ruling, the judge emphasized that Eight Mile sufficiently alleged that Meta reproduced and stored unauthorized copies of the copyrighted compositions within its platform libraries. She noted that merely storing copyrighted works without permission may constitute unauthorized reproduction under the Copyright Act.

This decision keeps alive the central legal question of whether Meta can be held responsible for hosting unlicensed music within the content creation and sharing tools it offers to its users across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

However, the court dismissed the secondary claims brought by Eight Mile Style. The inducement claim was rejected based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling related to Cox Communications and Sony Music Entertainment, which found no independent cause of action for inducement separate from other forms of secondary liability.

The contributory infringement claim failed because the plaintiffs did not identify specific acts of infringement by Meta users. While the lawsuit referenced features like Reels Remix, Original Audio, and Instagram’s music-sharing tools, the court found these could be used legally as well as illegally, lacking sufficient proof of wrongdoing.

Similarly, the vicarious infringement claim was dismissed because Eight Mile did not plausibly demonstrate that Meta received a direct financial benefit from storing the musical compositions in its libraries.

The ruling represents a partial victory for both parties. Meta succeeded in dismissing three of the four claims, reducing its potential liability. Meanwhile, Eight Mile preserved its most direct and significant allegation, ensuring the case will proceed on the core issue of unauthorized copying.

The case is now set to advance to the next stage, with Judge McMillion ordering Meta to formally respond to the surviving copyright infringement claim by July 7. The outcome will have important implications for how social media platforms manage copyrighted content within their services.

This article is based on reporting originally published by AllHipHop.