KEY POINTS:
Eminem's publisher has sued Apple, alleging copyright violations by allowing downloads of the controversial rapper's songs onto iPods.
A lawsuit was filed in a US District Court yesterday, according to the Detroit News.
Top entertainment lawyer Owen Sloane of firm Berger Kahn told the newspaper that there will be many similar suits to come, as artists and record labels fight over who owns the rights to authorise music downloads.
There is some debate over whether further permission should be sought from music publishers, who hold copyrights to lyrics and music.
Apple today announced its three billionth download from its iTunes Store - which makes the computer company one of America's largest music retailers. It has outstripped sales by Amazon.com and Target to become the third biggest music seller.
Typically, Apple collects 99 cents each time an iPod owner downloads a song, with Apple paying 70 cents of that amount to the recording label, Sloane said. The recording label, in turn, typically pays 9.1 cents to the music publisher, Sloane said.
In its lawsuit, Eminem's publisher Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC say that although Apple pays his record label Universal, it has never been authorised to allow downloads. It has asked Apple to stop distribution of Eminem's music, but the company has refused, the complaint alleges.
It is not the first time that Eight Mile Style and Martin have sued Apple - it filed a suit in 2004 after Apple used the song 'Lose Yourself' in an ad for the iTunes music store.
A year later, the companies sued five mobile ringtone suppliers for selling Eminem songs online.
