A former employee of rapper and songwriter Eminem has been accused of stealing and selling unreleased music from his studio. The case has garnered widespread attention, highlighting the importance of intellectual property protection.
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03-20, 2025According to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Joseph Strange, 46, a resident of Holly, Michigan, was formerly an employee of Marshall Mathers III, also known as Eminem. The complaint details Strange's alleged theft and sale of Eminem's unreleased music.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that on January 16, 2025, employees at Mathers' music studio in Ferndale, Michigan, contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to report the discovery of unreleased music created by the singer on the internet. It is alleged that this unreleased music had been stolen from Eminem's studio.
The report stated, "This music was still in the process of being created by Mathers. The employees obtained an image of a list of music created by Mathers that had not been released, and that was being offered for sale through various internet websites. The employees recognized this as an image taken directly from a hard drive at the Ferndale studio." After the FBI intervened, agents located multiple individuals who had purchased the unreleased music and identified the seller.
Strange worked for Mathers from approximately 2007 to 2021. Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck stated in a press release, "Protecting intellectual property from theft is critical to protecting creators' proprietary rights and safeguarding their original work from those who seek to profit from the creative endeavors of others."
A criminal complaint is a preliminary step in legal proceedings and does not by itself necessarily lead to a trial. The U.S. Attorney's Office press release stated that a decision on whether to seek a felony indictment will be made following the completion of the investigation. If the case proceeds to trial, the maximum penalty for copyright infringement is five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 (approximately AUD 400,000). The maximum penalty for interstate transportation of stolen goods is ten years in prison.
Agents from the FBI's Oakland County Resident Agency assisted with the case. Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, said, "This investigation underscores the FBI's commitment to protecting the intellectual property rights of artists from those who seek to exploit them for illegal profit."
