Cross-border Licensing FAQ

Note that each country has its own mechanical licensing collective. The Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) carries on business in the United Kingdom and issues licences for its territory, just as CMRRA does for Canada. Similarly, The Harry Fox Agency licenses for the territory of the United States. This is repeated throughout the world. If you plan to import products from another country, it is critical that you obtain mechanical licences from CMRRA as it is impossible for a foreign manufacturer to “clear” Canadian royalties unless it has entered into direct worldwide deals with the publishers involved. While possible, this is extremely rare.

The rule is simple: if you sell or distribute recordings in Canada, whether they were made here or elsewhere, they must be licensed in Canada and royalties must be paid in Canada.

Yes, CMRRA issues licences for the sale or other distribution of audio products in Canada. If copies are pressed in the U.S. and some or all of the units are shipped to Canada, you will need to obtain a licence from CMRRA and pay royalties on those copies imported in Canada. For more information, please visit our Need A Licence? page.

For the licensing of small quantities, you will need to apply for a licence under CMRRA's "pay-as-you-press/import" plan, and you will need to supply us with a cross-border confirmation instead of a pressing order. Please see our Pay-As-You-Press page for more information.

To the extent the copies manufactured in Canada will also be sold or otherwise distributed in Canada, CMRRA can issue licences for your product. However, if you are manufacturing in Canada but exporting copies for distribution in the US or any other territory, CMRRA will not be able to license the copies exported outside Canada.

For the licensing of small quantities, you will need to apply for a licence under CMRRA's "pay-as-you-press/import" plan, and you will need to supply us with a cross-border confirmation instead of a pressing order. Please see our Pay-As-You-Press page for more information.

CMRRA can only issue licences for the copies that remain for sale or other distribution in Canada. You will need to seek licences for the exported units from the licensing collective in the country of destination.