On May 1, the trial over Eminem’s lawsuit against a New Zealand political party began.
And now, nearly two weeks later, it has ended–though the judge may not make a ruling for up to three months.
The rapper’s music publishers had sued the National Party, the country’s ruling conservative political party, for copyright infringement after a candidate used what they argued was a rip-off of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” in a television campaign ad.
Though the National Party’s lawyer Greg Arthur claimed in court that there wasn’t much originality to the classic hit, the judge, according to SPIN, counter-argued that “when the two songs were overlaid, they kept the same beat and pattern, and sounded almost ‘contemporaneous.’”
And, despite the commercial’s track being titled “Eminem-Esque,” Arthur claimed that should not be taken into consideration, but judge Helen Cull retorted, “It’s a little clue, though, isn’t it?”
Garry Williams, the lawyer for Eight Mile Style, said it was “utterly clear” the party knew it engaged in copyright infringement, and the music publishers are currently seeking both a cash settlement and an acknowledgement from the court that the National Party breached copyright.