Earlier this week, a judge in New Zealand ruled that the country's conservative National Party had breached the copyright of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" when they used a similar song in a campaign ad. The lawsuit was filed by Eight Mile Style, a publishing company that owns the rights to some of the Detroit rapper's early work. The company was awarded $415,000 plus interest in damages.
On Thursday, a rep for Eminem told Variety that the rapper had not been involved in the lawsuit but would be donating any proceeds he receives to charities contributing to relief efforts from hurricanes in the Caribbean and southern United States.
"Eminem was not a party to this lawsuit nor was he consulted regarding the case,” the rep said. “Any monetary settlement he receives from it will be donated to hurricane relief. He encourages the plaintiffs, 8 Mile Style, to do the same.”
Eight Mile Style filed the lawsuit in 2014, after the National Party used a song called “Eminem Esque" for their campaign ad. In a ruling on Wednesday, a judge wrote that the song "substantially copied "Lose Yourself.'"
A representative for Eminem was not immediately available for comment.
