Eminem wins £315,000 damages after New Zealand political party ripped off 'Lose Yourself' in election campaign

A political party has been ordered to pay Eminem more than £300,000 after ripping off one of his songs during an election campaign.

New Zealand's National Party breached copyright of hit Lose Yourself by playing a similar tune in its 2014 campaign - something which helped propel it to power.

During civil proceedings lawyers were forced to listen to the profanity-laced 2002 hit, while Eminem collaborator Jeff Bass flew in from Detroit to play the record's opening riff.

The National Party's "Eminem Esque" song had been played 186 times in television adverts before it was pulled off air.

A New Zealand court has now ordered the conservative party to pay out 600,000 NZ dollars (£316,000) in damages to the musician.

During the trial, lawyers for the National Party argued that Lose Yourself wasn't original because it used the same chords as other songs.

The argument was brandished absurd by representatives from Eight Mile Style - 8 Mile (2002) being a film the Eminem song featured in.

A lawyer for Eight Mile Style said: "We think it's a very strong judgment, and a cautionary tale for people who make or use sound-alikes around the world."

National Party president Peter Goodfellow described himself as "disappointed" by the ruling, and said the party purchased the music in good faith from an Australia-based library that had bought it from a US supplier.

The ruling came just days after the party lost the 2017 election to a coalition led by the liberal Labour Party.