A Los Angeles jury sided with Universal Music Group today in a lawsuit that would have rewarded rapper Eminem with half the royalties earned on every digitally downloaded song. The suit, which was filed by a group of producers involved in Eminem’s early career called FBT Productions, claimed Universal owed Eminem $1.47 million in unpaid royalties. UMG’s lawyers persuaded the jury, however, that digital royalties should be calculated by the same standard as compact discs, Bloomberg reports.
Although Eminem wasn’t an official party in the case, he would have been the first to benefit if FBT had succeeded in getting digital downloads recognized as a licensing arrangement with distributors, such as iTunes. Attorneys for FBT say they are considering filing an appeal to today’s decision.
Eminem’s Relapse is set for release on May 19 and his surprise follow-up, Relapse 2, will drop by the end of the year.