US rapper Eminem has sued New Zealand's political party for using his song ‘Lose Yourself’ for its campaign ad in 2014.
The rapper said the song, used by the National Party, was an unlicensed version of ‘Lose Yourself’, one of his biggest hits.
The 2014 advert featured shots of rowers and a voiceover urging people to "keep the team that's working" and return the National Party to office at the coming election.
Meanwhile, the lawyers argued that the track had been taken from a library made by production music company Beatbox.
Songs which sound similar to famous tracks - but different enough to avoid breaching copyright - routinely feature in free-to-use commercial music libraries.
The ‘Lose Yourself’ was written by Eminem and was released on October 28, 2002, as the lead single from the soundtrack.
The song appeared in Eminem's film 8 Mile.
‘Lose Yourself’ won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003, making it the first ever rap song to have received this accolade. The song also won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance in 2004.
