Eminem's publishing companies have begun legal action to stop the rapper's songs being sold as mobile phone ringtones.
The two companies, Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated, are seeking a court order against five ring tone firms who, they claim, are selling ringtones that use Slim Shady's music without licence. The companies being sued via the Detroit courts include Colorado-based Cellus USA, Georgia-based FanMobile, New York-based Nextones.com, New Jersey-based MyPhoneFiles and New Jersey-based MatrixM LLC.
The lawyer representing the music companies says his clients also plan to sue karaoke firms who use Eminem's music without proper licence. Lawyer Hward Hertz told reporters this week: "This is big business. We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars a year."