Eminem Audi A6 Avant Video Is Not An Advertisement, Audi Spokesperson Says

A U.S. spokesperson for Audi has responded to the lawsuit filed in Hamburg Regional Court in Germany this week by Eight Mile Style LLC, Eminem's publishing company. The German automobile manufacturer is being sued for using an unauthorized sample of Eminem's Academy Award-winning song "Lose Yourself" from his film "8 Mile."

The Audi spokesperson told Yahoo! Music that the video that has sparked the debate is not a commercial. "The video referred to is not an advertisement," he said via email. "Also, this does not involve Audi of America. The video was not shown here in the U.S." The spokesperson added that due to the legal nature of the matter, he could not comment further.

In the European spot for the 2012 Audi A6 Avant, a professionally-dressed man drives the luxury vehicle through a city as the memorable guitar rift and snare taps from "Lose Yourself" play in the background.

The song choice and the video concept have also drawn comparisons to a 2011 Super Bowl advertisement Eminem made for Chrysler.

"We believe Audi not only used 'Lose Yourself' to sell their product without permission, but their spot actually feels inspired by elements of Chrysler's commercial campaign," a spokesperson for Eight Mile Style told Billboard.

In Eminem's advertisement for the Chrysler 200, a faceless driver tours Detroit, showing both the rundown and flourishing parts of the city. The marquee on the town's landmark Fox Theater reads, "Keep Detroit Beautiful," a reference to Eminem's 2009 song "Beautiful." The rapper is revealed as the driver of the car.

The 2012 Audi A6 clip is a more pristine version of the Chrysler 200 spot.

According to Billboard, Chrysler had not announced any plans to also file a suit against Audi.

Eminem wasn't the only pop star involved in a conflict this week. His "Love The Way You Lie" duet partner Rihanna received flack for her violent new video, "Man Down." But otherwise, other A-list musicians had a more positive week. Lady Gaga sold more than one million copies of her "Born This Way" album. Pink and her husband, Carey Hart, welcomed the birth of their baby girl. And Kanye West paid respects to the late iconic poet Gil Scott Herron by performing at his funeral.

Find additional details on these stories in the links below. Be sure to check back next week for more of the best music news. See you then.

Rihanna, Eminem 'Lie' Video To Premiere Next Week

Rihanna and Eminem's new music video for "Love The Way You Lie" could be released within two weeks.

According to the video's director, Joseph Kahn, "Love The Way You Lie" has already been edited and may premiere next week.

Writing "My director's edit of Love the Way You Lie is done," admitting "I love this video," Joseph Kahn confirmed "that's a wrap, Eminem/Rihanna premieres in a week," Saturday.

As previously reported, the video was shot last week and is said to feature a cameo from actress, Megan Fox.

Starting The "Recovery" Process

Eminem's "Not Afraid," the first single from his upcoming album Recovery, enters the Hot 100 at #1. It's the first song to debut in the top spot since Britney Spears' "3" did it in October. It's only the second rap song ever to debut at #1, following "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (featuring 112) in 1997. "Not Afraid" is Eminem's third #1 on the Hot 100, following "Lose Yourself," his Oscar-winning smash from 8 Mile, and "Crack A Bottle," his all-star collaboration with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent.

"Not Afraid" sold 379,000 copies in its first week. That's the biggest weekly sales tally so far this year. Only three songs in digital history have sold more copies in their first week. All were 2009 releases: Flo Rida's "Right Round" (636,000), the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" (465,000) and the aforementioned "Crack A Bottle" (418,000).

"Not Afraid" posted the biggest weekly sales total since Ke$ha's "Tik ToK" rang up sales of 394,000 in the week ending Jan. 3. (That was the final week of the 2009 chart year.)

Recovery, Eminem's sixth studio album, is due for release on June 22. Eminem's last album, Relapse, debuted at #1 in May 2009. It posted first-week sales of 608,000 copies. Only one album, Susan Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream, sold more copies in any one week last year.

"Not Afraid" also enters Hot Digital Songs at #1. It's Eminem's fifth #1 on that list, following "Just Lose It" in 2004, "When I'm Gone" in 2005," "Smack That" in 2006 (an Akon smash on which he was featured) and "Crack A Bottle." ("Lose Yourself" was released in September 2002, nine months before the introduction of the Digital Tracks chart. The anthemic hit has sold 2,702,000 copies.)

The arrival of "Not Afraid" pushes the ebullient "OMG" by Usher featuring will.i.am down to #2 on Hot Digital Songs. The song sold 213,000 copies this week, bringing its six-week total to 977,000. The song hit #1 on the Hot 100 last week.