More from the pop courts, and Mark and Jeff Bass, the brothers who were in part responsible for unleashing Eminem on the world, are suing Universal divisions Aftermath and Interscope, and Dr Dre's Ary Inc company, claiming they are owed millions in royalties relating to Slim Shady's music.
The Bass brothers' company FBT Productions signed Eminem in 1995, and engineered his deal with the Dr Dre founded Aftermath Entertainment three years later. They claim that their deal with Aftermath gave their company a cut of future Slim Shady recording revenues, as well as setting out the relationship between FTB, Aftermath, Eminem and a third company, Em2M, a company owned by one Joel Martin, who also runs Mathers' publishing company 8 Mile Style.
The legal dispute is over certain costs and expenses which FTB and Em2M say should have been charged to Eminem's people under that deal, but which were charged to them and deducted from royalty payments. Said costs and expenses add up to millions, and it is those monies plus damages that the Bass brothers, and Martin's Em2M, are suing for.
Universal, Dre and, for that matter, Eminem himself, are yet to comment.