Eminem’s ex-employee charged over alleged theft of unreleased music in FBI case

nme.com:

Eminem has been charged over the alleged theft of unreleased music.Joseph Strange – who worked for Eminem from around 2007 until 2021 – was charged on Wednesday (March 19) with criminal infringement of a copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods in connection with the sale of unreleased music.It comes after the FBI was alerted on January 16 by employees of Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, Michigan who discovered that some of the rapper’s unreleased music had leaked online and was available for sale, per the criminal complaint.The ‘Lose Yourself’ rapper’s employees recognised that an image used in a list of unreleased music uploaded to the internet was one taken from a hard drive in the studio.The FBI identified multiple individuals who had purchased the unreleased music, who then identified Strange as the person selling the music.

According to a press release, the music “was still in the process of being developed by” Eminem.“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” said Acting United States Attorney Julie Beck, who announced the charges against Strange.Strange faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 (£192,716) if convicted on the charge of criminal infringement of a copyright.