Chapter 210

§ 210.1 General.

This subpart prescribes rules for the payment of royalties and the preparation and service of statements of account under the compulsory license for the making and distribution of phonorecords of nondramatic musical works, including by means of a digital phonorecord delivery, pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115 and the rates and terms in part 385 of this title. Rules governing notices of intention to obtain a compulsory license for making and distributing phonorecords of nondramatic musical works are located in § 201.18. On and after the license availability date, this subpart shall not apply with respect to any digital phonorecord delivery made pursuant to the compulsory license unless such digital phonorecord delivery is made by a record company under an individual download license under 17 U.S.C. 115(b)(3), which must be reported and paid for in accordance with § 210.11; that is, this subpart shall not apply where a digital music provider reports and pays royalties under a blanket license under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(A)(i).[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014, as amended at 83 FR 63065, Dec. 7, 2018. Redesignated and amended at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.2 Definitions.

As used in this subpart:

(a) A Monthly Statement of Account or Monthly Statement is a statement accompanying monthly royalty payments identified in 17 U.S.C. 115(c)(2)(I), and required by that section to be filed under the compulsory license to make and distribute phonorecords of nondramatic musical works, including by means of a digital phonorecord delivery.

(b) An Annual Statement of Account or Annual Statement is a statement identified in 17 U.S.C 115(c)(2)(I), and required by that section to be filed under the compulsory license to make and distribute phonorecords of nondramatic musical works, including by means of a digital phonorecord delivery. Such term, when used in this rule, includes an Amended Annual Statement of Account filed pursuant to § 210.7(d)(2)(iii).

(c) A digital phonorecord delivery means each individual delivery of a phonorecord by digital transmission of a sound recording that results in a specifically identifiable reproduction by or for any transmission recipient of a phonorecord of that sound recording, regardless of whether the digital transmission is also a public performance of the sound recording or any musical work embodied therein. The reproduction of the phonorecord must be sufficiently permanent or stable to permit it to be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated for a period of more than transitory duration. Such a phonorecord may be permanent or it may be made available to the transmission recipient for a limited period of time or for a specified number of performances. A digital phonorecord delivery includes all phonorecords that are made for the purpose of making the digital phonorecord delivery. A digital phonorecord delivery does not include any transmission that did not result in a specifically identifiable reproduction of the entire product being transmitted, and for which the distributor did not charge, or fully refunded, any monies that would otherwise be due for the relevant transmission. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a permanent download, a limited download, or an interactive stream, as defined in 17 U.S.C. 115(e), is a digital phonorecord delivery. A digital phonorecord delivery does not include the digital transmission of sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work as defined in 17 U.S.C. 101.

(d) Ringtone shall have the meaning given in § 385.2 of this title.

(e) The term copyright owner, in the case of any work having more than one copyright owner, means any one of the co-owners.

(f) A compulsory licensee is a person or entity exercising the compulsory license to make and distribute phonorecords of nondramatic musical works as provided under 17 U.S.C. 115, including by means of a digital phonorecord delivery.

(g) A phonorecord is considered distributed if the compulsory licensee has voluntarily and permanently parted with possession of the phonorecord, which shall occur as follows:

(1) In the case of physical phonorecords relinquished from possession for purposes other than sale, at the time at which the compulsory licensee actually first parts with possession;

(2) In the case of physical phonorecords relinquished from possession for purposes of sale without a privilege of returning unsold phonorecords for credit or exchange, at the time at which the compulsory licensee actually first parts with possession;

(3) In the case of physical phonorecords relinquished from possession for purposes of sale accompanied by a privilege of returning unsold phonorecords for credit or exchange:

(i) At the time when revenue from a sale of the phonorecord is “recognized” by the compulsory licensee; or

(ii) Nine months from the month in which the compulsory licensee actually first parted with possession, whichever occurs first. For these purposes, a compulsory licensee shall be considered to “recognize” revenue from the sale of a phonorecord when sales revenue would be recognized in accordance with GAAP.

(4) In the case of a digital phonorecord delivery, on the date that the phonorecord is digitally transmitted.

(h) A phonorecord reserve comprises the number of phonorecords made under a particular compulsory license, if any, that have been relinquished from possession for purposes of sale in a given month accompanied by a privilege of return, as described in paragraph (g)(3) of this section, and that have not been considered distributed during the month in which the compulsory licensee actually first parted with their possession. The initial number of phonorecords comprising a phonorecord reserve shall be determined in accordance with GAAP.

(i) A negative reserve balance comprises the aggregate number of phonorecords made under a particular compulsory license, if any, that have been relinquished from possession for purposes of sale accompanied by a privilege of return, as described in paragraph (g)(3) of this section, and that have been returned to the compulsory licensee, but because all available phonorecord reserves have been eliminated, have not been used to reduce a phonorecord reserve.

(j) GAAP means U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, except that if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission permits or requires entities with securities that are publicly traded in the U.S. to employ International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or as accepted by the Securities and Exchange Commission if different from that issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, in lieu of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, then an entity may employ International Financial Reporting Standards as “GAAP” for purposes of this subpart.

(k) The term license availability date shall have the meaning given in 17 U.S.C. 115(e)(15).

(l) The term digital music provider shall have the meaning given in 17 U.S.C. 115(e)(8).

(m) The term blanket license shall have the meaning given in 17 U.S.C. 115(e)(5).

(n) The term record company shall have the meaning given in 17 U.S.C. 115(e)(26).

(o) The term individual download license shall have the meaning given in 17 U.S.C. 115(e)(12).[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014, as amended at 83 FR 63065, Dec. 7, 2018. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.3 Accounting requirements where sales revenue is “recognized.”

Where under § 210.2(g)(3)(i), revenue from the sale of phonorecords is “recognized” during any month after the month in which the compulsory licensee actually first parted with their possession, said compulsory licensee shall reduce particular phonorecord reserves by the number of phonorecords for which revenue is being “recognized,” as follows:

(a) If the number of phonorecords for which revenue is being “recognized” is smaller than the number of phonorecords comprising the earliest eligible phonorecord reserve, this phonorecord reserve shall be reduced by the number of phonorecords for which revenue is being “recognized.” Subject to the time limitations of § 210.2(g)(3)(ii), the number of phonorecords remaining in this reserve shall be available for use in subsequent months.

(b) If the number of phonorecords for which revenue is being “recognized” is greater than the number of phonorecords comprising the earliest eligible phonorecord reserve but less than the total number of phonorecords comprising all eligible phonorecord reserves, the compulsory licensee shall first eliminate those phonorecord reserves, beginning with the earliest eligible phonorecord reserve and continuing to the next succeeding phonorecord reserves, that are completely offset by phonorecords for which revenue is being “recognized.” Said compulsory licensee shall then reduce the next succeeding phonorecord reserve by the number of phonorecords for which revenue is being “recognized” that have not been used to eliminate a phonorecord reserve. Subject to the time limitations of § 210.2(g)(3)(ii), the number of phonorecords remaining in this reserve shall be available for use in subsequent months.

(c) If the number of phonorecords for which revenue is being “recognized” equals the number of phonorecords comprising all eligible phonorecord reserves, the person or entity exercising the compulsory license shall eliminate all of the phonorecord reserves.

(d) Digital phonorecord deliveries shall not be considered as accompanied by a privilege of return as described in § 210.2(g)(3), and the compulsory licensee shall not take digital phonorecord deliveries into account in establishing phonorecord reserves.[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.11 Record companies using individual download licenses.

A record company that obtains an individual download license under 17 U.S.C. 115(b)(3) shall provide statements of account and pay royalties as a compulsory licensee in accordance with this subpart.[83 FR 63065, Dec. 7, 2018. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.4 Accounting requirements for offsetting phonorecord reserves with returned phonorecords.

(a) In the case of a phonorecord that has been relinquished from possession for purposes of sale accompanied by a privilege of return, as described in § 210.2(g)(3), where the phonorecord is returned to the compulsory licensee for credit or exchange before said compulsory licensee is considered to have “voluntarily and permanently parted with possession” of the phonorecord as described in § 210.2(g), the compulsory licensee may use such phonorecord to reduce a “phonorecord reserve,” as defined in § 210.2(h).

(b) In such cases, the compulsory licensee shall reduce particular phonorecord reserves by the number of phonorecords that are returned during the month covered by the Monthly Statement of Account in the following manner:

(1) If the number of phonorecords that are returned during the month covered by the Monthly Statement is smaller than the number comprising the earliest eligible phonorecord reserve, the compulsory licensee shall reduce this phonorecord reserve by the total number of returned phonorecords. Subject to the time limitations in § 210.2(g)(3)(ii), the number of phonorecords remaining in this reserve shall be available for use in subsequent months.

(2) If the number of phonorecords that are returned during the month covered by the Monthly Statement is greater than the number of phonorecords comprising the earliest eligible phonorecord reserve but less than the total number of phonorecords comprising all eligible phonorecord reserves, the compulsory licensee shall first eliminate those phonorecord reserves, beginning with the earliest eligible phonorecord reserve, and continuing to the next succeeding phonorecord reserves, that are completely offset by returned phonorecords. Said compulsory licensee shall then reduce the next succeeding phonorecord reserve by the number of returned phonorecords that have not been used to eliminate a phonorecord reserve. Subject to the time limitations in § 210.2(g)(3)(ii), the number of phonorecords remaining in this reserve shall be available for use in subsequent months.

(3) If the number of phonorecords that are returned during the month covered by the Monthly Statement is equal to or is greater than the total number of phonorecords comprising all eligible phonorecord reserves, the compulsory licensee shall eliminate all eligible phonorecord reserves. Where said number is greater than the total number of phonorecords comprising all eligible phonorecord reserves, said compulsory licensee shall establish a “negative reserve balance,” as defined in § 210.2(i).

(c) Except where a negative reserve balance exists, a separate and distinct phonorecord reserve shall be established for each month during which the compulsory licensee relinquishes phonorecords from possession for purposes of sale accompanied by a privilege of return, as described in § 210.2(g)(3). In accordance with § 210.2(g)(3)(ii), any phonorecord remaining in a particular phonorecord reserve nine months from the month in which the particular reserve was established shall be considered “distributed”; at that point, the particular monthly phonorecord reserve shall lapse and royalties for the phonorecords remaining in it shall be paid as provided in § 210.6(d)(2).

(d) Where a negative reserve balance exists, the aggregate total of phonorecords comprising it shall be accumulated into a single balance rather than being separated into distinct monthly balances. Following the establishment of a negative reserve balance, any phonorecords relinquished from possession by the compulsory licensee for purposes of sale or otherwise, shall be credited against such negative balance, and the negative reserve balance shall be reduced accordingly. Digital phonorecord deliveries may be credited against such negative reserve balance, but only if such digital phonorecord deliveries have the same royalty rate as physical phonorecords under part 385 of this title. The nine-month limit provided in § 210.2(g)(3)(ii) shall have no effect upon a negative reserve balance; where a negative reserve balance exists, relinquishment from possession of a phonorecord by the compulsory licensee at any time shall be used to reduce such balance, and such phonorecord shall not be considered “distributed” within the meaning of § 210.2(g).

(e) In no case shall a phonorecord reserve be established while a negative reserve balance is in existence; conversely, in no case shall a negative reserve balance be established before all available phonorecord reserves have been eliminated.[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014. Redesignated and amended at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.5 Situations in which a compulsory licensee is barred from maintaining reserves.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, in any case where, within three years before the phonorecord was relinquished from possession, the compulsory licensee has had final judgment entered against it for failure to pay royalties for the reproduction of copyrighted music on phonorecords, or within such period has been definitively found in any proceeding involving bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, assignment for the benefit of creditors, or similar action, to have failed to pay such royalties, that compulsory licensee shall be considered to have “permanently parted with possession” of a phonorecord made under the license at the time at which that compulsory licensee actually first parts with possession. For these purposes the compulsory licensee shall include:

(a) In the case of any corporation, the corporation or any director, officer, or beneficial owner of twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the outstanding securities of the corporation;

(b) In all other cases, any entity or individual owning a beneficial interest of twenty-five percent (25%) or more in the entity exercising the compulsory license.[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014, as amended at 82 FR 9365, Feb. 6, 2017. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.6 Monthly statements of account.

(a) Forms. The Copyright Office does not provide printed forms for the use of persons serving Monthly Statements of Account.

(b) General content. A Monthly Statement of Account shall be clearly and prominently identified as a “Monthly Statement of Account Under Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords,” and shall include a clear statement of the following information:

(1) The period (month and year) covered by the Monthly Statement.

(2) The full legal name of the compulsory licensee, together with all fictitious or assumed names used by such person or entity for the purpose of conducting the business of making and distributing phonorecords.

(3) The full address, including a specific number and street name or rural route, of the place of business of the compulsory licensee. A post office box or similar designation will not be sufficient for this purpose, except where it is the only address that can be used in that geographic location.

(4) For each nondramatic musical work that is owned by the same copyright owner being served with the Monthly Statement and that is embodied in phonorecords covered by the compulsory license, a detailed statement of all of the information called for in paragraph (c) of this section.

(5) The total royalty payable to the relevant copyright owner for the month covered by the Monthly Statement, computed in accordance with the requirements of this section and the formula specified in paragraph (d) of this section, including detailed information regarding how the royalty was computed.

(6) The amount of late fees, if applicable, included in the payment associated with the Monthly Statement.

(7) In any case where the compulsory licensee falls within the provisions of § 210.5, a clear description of the action or proceeding involved, including the date of the final judgment or definitive finding described in that section.

(8) Detailed instructions on how to request records of any promotional or free trial uses of the copyright owner’s works that are required to be maintained or provided under applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, including, where applicable, records required to be maintained or provided by any third parties that were authorized by the compulsory licensee to engage in such uses during any part of the month. If this information is provided, Monthly Statements need not reflect phonorecords subject to any promotional or free trial royalty rate of zero that may be provided in part 385 of this title.

(c) Specific content of monthly statements – (1) Accounting of phonorecords subject to a cents rate royalty structure. The information called for by paragraph (b)(4) of this section shall, with respect to each nondramatic musical work as to which the compulsory licensee has made and distributed phonorecords subject to applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a cents-per-unit basis, include a separate listing of each of the following items of information:

(i) The number of phonorecords made during the month covered by the Monthly Statement.

(ii) The number of phonorecords that, during the month covered by the Monthly Statement and regardless of when made, were either:

(A) Relinquished from possession for purposes other than sale;

(B) Relinquished from possession for purposes of sale without any privilege of returning unsold phonorecords for credit or exchange;

(C) Relinquished from possession for purposes of sale accompanied by a privilege of returning unsold phonorecords for credit or exchange;

(D) Returned to the compulsory licensee for credit or exchange; or

(E) Placed in a phonorecord reserve (except that if a negative reserve balance exists give either the number of phonorecords added to the negative reserve balance, or the number of phonorecords relinquished from possession that have been used to reduce the negative reserve balance).

(iii) The number of phonorecords, regardless of when made, that were relinquished from possession during a month earlier than the month covered by the Monthly Statement but that, during the month covered by the Monthly Statement either have had revenue from their sale “recognized” under § 210.2(g)(3)(i), or were comprised in a phonorecord reserve that lapsed after nine months under § 210.2(g)(3)(ii).

(iv) The per unit statutory royalty rate applicable to the relevant configuration; and

(v) The total royalty payable for the month covered by the Monthly Statement (i.e., the result in paragraph (d)(2)(v) of this section) for the item described by the set of information called for, and broken down as required, by paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

(vi) The phonorecord identification information required by paragraph (c)(3) of this section.

(2) Accounting of phonorecords subject to a percentage rate royalty structure. The information called for by paragraph (b)(4) of this section shall, with respect to each nondramatic musical work as to which the compulsory licensee has made and distributed phonorecords subject to applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a percentage-rate basis, include a detailed and step-by-step accounting of the calculation of royalties under applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, sufficient to allow the copyright owner to assess the manner in which the licensee determined the royalty owed and the accuracy of the royalty calculations, including but not limited to the following information:

(i) The number of plays, constructive plays, or other payable units, of the relevant sound recording for the month covered by the Monthly Statement for the relevant offering.

(ii) The total royalty payable for the month for the item described by the set of information called for, and broken down as required, by paragraph (c)(3) of this section (i.e., the per-work royalty allocation for the relevant sound recording and offering).

(iii) The phonorecord identification information required by paragraph (c)(3) of this section.

(3) Identification of phonorecords in monthly statements. The information required by this paragraph shall include, and if necessary shall be broken down to identify separately, the following:

(i) The title of the nondramatic musical work subject to compulsory license.

(ii) A reference number or code identifying the relevant Notice of Intention, if the compulsory licensee chose to include such a number or code on its relevant Notice of Intention for the compulsory license.

(iii) The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) associated with the relevant sound recording, if known, and at least one of the following, as applicable and available for tracking sales and/or usage:

(A) The catalog number or numbers and label name or names, associated with the phonorecords;

(B) The Universal Product Code (UPC) or similar code used on or associated with the phonorecords; or

(C) The sound recording identification number assigned by the compulsory licensee or a third-party distributor to the relevant sound recording.

(iv) The names of the principal recording artist or group engaged in rendering the performances fixed on the phonorecords.

(v) The playing time of the relevant sound recording, except that playing time is not required in the case of ringtones or licensed activity to which no overtime adjustment is applicable.

(vi) If the compulsory licensee chooses to allocate its payment between co-owners of the copyright in the nondramatic musical work, as described in paragraph (g)(1) of this section, and thus pays the copyright owner (or agent) receiving the statement less than one hundred percent of the applicable royalty, the percentage share paid.

(vii) The names of the writer or writers of the nondramatic musical work, or the International Standard Name Identifiers (ISNIs) or other unique identifier of the writer or writers, if known.

(viii) The International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) or other unique identifier for the nondramatic musical work, if known.

(ix) Identification of the relevant phonorecord configuration (for example: compact disc, permanent digital download, ringtone) or offering (for example: limited download, music bundle) for which the royalty was calculated, including, if applicable and except for physical phonorecords, the name of the third-party distributor of the configuration or offering.

(d) Royalty payment and accounting – (1) In general. The total royalty called for by paragraph (b)(5) of this section shall be computed so as to include every phonorecord “distributed” during the month covered by the Monthly Statement.

(2) Phonorecords subject to a cents rate royalty structure. For phonorecords subject to applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a cents-per-unit basis, the amount of the royalty payment shall be calculated as follows:

(i) Step 1: Compute the number of phonorecords shipped for sale with a privilege of return. This is the total of phonorecords that, during the month covered by the Monthly Statement, were relinquished from possession by the compulsory licensee, accompanied by the privilege of returning unsold phonorecords to the compulsory licensee for credit or exchange. This total does not include:

(A) Any phonorecords relinquished from possession by the compulsory licensee for purposes of sale without the privilege of return; and

(B) Any phonorecords relinquished from possession for purposes other than sale.

(ii) Step 2: Subtract the number of phonorecords reserved. This involves deducting, from the subtotal arrived at in Step 1, the number of phonorecords that have been placed in the phonorecord reserve for the month covered by the Monthly Statement. The number of phonorecords reserved is determined by multiplying the subtotal from Step 1 by the percentage reserve level established under GAAP. This step should be skipped by a compulsory licensee barred from maintaining reserves under § 210.5.

(iii) Step 3: Add the total of all phonorecords that were shipped during the month and were not counted in Step 1. This total is the sum of two figures:

(A) The number of phonorecords that, during the month covered by the Monthly Statement, were relinquished from possession by the compulsory licensee for purposes of sale, without the privilege of returning unsold phonorecords to the compulsory licensee for credit or exchange; and

(B) The number of phonorecords relinquished from possession by the compulsory licensee, during the month covered by the Monthly Statement, for purposes other than sale.

(iv) Step 4: Make any necessary adjustments for sales revenue “recognized,” lapsed reserves, or reduction of negative reserve balance during the month. If necessary, this step involves adding to or subtracting from the subtotal arrived at in Step 3 on the basis of three possible types of adjustments:

(A) Sales revenue “recognized.” If, in the month covered by the Monthly Statement, the compulsory licensee “recognized” revenue from the sale of phonorecords that had been relinquished from possession in an earlier month, the number of such phonorecords is added to the Step 3 subtotal.

(B) Lapsed reserves. If, in the month covered by the Monthly Statement, there are any phonorecords remaining in the phonorecord reserve for the ninth previous month (that is, any phonorecord reserves from the ninth previous month that have not been offset under FOFI, the first-out-first-in accounting convention, by actual returns during the intervening months), the reserve lapses and the number of phonorecords in it is added to the Step 3 subtotal.

(C) Reduction of negative reserve balance. If, in the month covered by the Monthly Statement, the aggregate reserve balance for all previous months is a negative amount, the number of phonorecords relinquished from possession by the compulsory licensee during that month and used to reduce the negative reserve balance is subtracted from the Step 3 subtotal.

(v) Step 5: Multiply by the statutory royalty rate. The total monthly royalty payment is obtained by multiplying the subtotal from Step 3, as adjusted if necessary by Step 4, by the statutory royalty rate set forth in applicable provisions of part 385 of this title.

(3) Phonorecords subject to a percentage rate royalty structure. For phonorecords subject to applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a percentage-rate basis, the amount of the royalty payment shall be calculated as provided in applicable provisions of part 385 of this title. The calculations shall be made in good faith and on the basis of the best knowledge, information, and belief of the licensee at the time payment is due, and subject to the additional accounting and certification requirements of 17 U.S.C. 115(c)(2)(I) and this section. The following additional provisions shall also apply:

(i) A licensee may, in cases where the final public performance royalty has not yet been determined, compute the public performance royalty component based on the interim public performance royalty rate, if established; or alternatively, on a reasonable estimation of the expected royalties to be paid in accordance with GAAP. Royalty payments based on anticipated payments or interim public performance royalty rates must be reconciled on the Annual Statement of Account, or by complying with § 210.7(d)(2)(iii) governing Amended Annual Statements of Account.

(ii) When calculating the per-work royalty allocation for each work, as described in applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, an actual or constructive per-play allocation is to be calculated to at least the hundredth of a cent (i.e., to at least four decimal places).

(e) Clear statements. The information required by paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section requires intelligible, legible, and unambiguous statements in the Monthly Statements of Account without incorporation of facts or information contained in other documents or records.

(f) Certification. (1) Each Monthly Statement of Account shall be accompanied by:

(i) The printed or typewritten name of the person who is signing and certifying the Monthly Statement of Account.

(ii) A signature, which in the case of a compulsory licensee that is a corporation or partnership, shall be the signature of a duly authorized officer of the corporation or of a partner.

(iii) The date of signature and certification.

(iv) If the compulsory licensee is a corporation or partnership, the title or official position held in the partnership or corporation by the person who is signing and certifying the Monthly Statement of Account.

(v) One of the following statements:

(A) I certify that (1) I am duly authorized to sign this Monthly Statement of Account on behalf of the compulsory licensee; (2) I have examined this Monthly Statement of Account; and (3) all statements of fact contained herein are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, and are made in good faith; or

(B) I certify that (1) I am duly authorized to sign this Monthly Statement of Account on behalf of the compulsory licensee, (2) I have prepared or supervised the preparation of the data used by the compulsory licensee and/or its agent to generate this Monthly Statement of Account, (3) such data is true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, and was prepared in good faith, and (4) this Monthly Statement of Account was prepared by the compulsory licensee and/or its agent using processes and internal controls that were subject to an examination, during the past year, by a licensed Certified Public Accountant in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the opinion of whom was that the processes and internal controls were suitably designed to generate monthly statements that accurately reflect, in all material respects, the compulsory licensee’s usage of musical works, the statutory royalties applicable thereto, and any other data that is necessary for the proper calculation of the statutory royalties in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115 and applicable regulations.

(2) If the Monthly Statement of Account is served by mail or by reputable courier service, certification of the Monthly Statement of Account by the compulsory licensee shall be made by handwritten signature. If the Monthly Statement of Account is served electronically, certification of the Monthly Statement of Account by the compulsory licensee shall be made by electronic signature as defined in section 7006(5) of title 15 of the United States Code.

(g) Service. (1) The service of a Monthly Statement of Account on a copyright owner under this subpart may be accomplished by means of service on either the copyright owner or an agent of the copyright owner with authority to receive Statements of Account on behalf of the copyright owner. In the case where the work has more than one copyright owner, the service of a Statement of Account on at least one co-owner or upon an agent of at least one of the co-owners shall be sufficient with respect to all co-owners. The compulsory licensee may choose to allocate its payment between co-owners. In such a case the compulsory licensee shall provide each co-owner (or its agent) a Monthly Statement reflecting the percentage share paid to that co-owner. Each Monthly Statement of Account shall be served on the copyright owner or the agent to whom or which it is directed by mail, by reputable courier service, or by electronic delivery as set forth in paragraph (g)(2) of this section on or before the 20th day of the immediately succeeding month. The royalty payment for a month also shall be served on or before the 20th day of the immediately succeeding month. The Monthly Statement and payment may be sent together or separately, but if sent separately, the payment must include information reasonably sufficient to allow the payee to match the Monthly Statement to the payment. However, in the case where the compulsory licensee has served its Notice of Intention upon an agent of the copyright owner pursuant to § 201.18 of this chapter, the compulsory licensee is not required to serve Monthly Statements of Account or make any royalty payments until the compulsory licensee receives from the agent with authority to receive the Notice of Intention notice of the name and address of the copyright owner or its agent upon whom the compulsory licensee shall serve Monthly Statements of Account and the monthly royalty fees. Upon receipt of this information, the compulsory licensee shall serve Monthly Statements of Account and all royalty fees covering the intervening period upon the person or entity identified by the agent with authority to receive the Notice of Intention by or before the 20th day of the month following receipt of the notification. It shall not be necessary to file a copy of the Monthly Statement in the Copyright Office.

(2) A copyright owner or authorized agent may send a licensee a demand that Monthly Statements of Account be submitted in a readily accessible electronic format consistent with prevailing industry practices applicable to comparable electronic delivery of comparable financial information.

(3) When a compulsory licensee receives a request to deliver or make available Monthly Statements of Account in electronic form, or a request to revert back to service by mail or reputable courier service, the compulsory licensee shall make such a change effective with the first accounting period ending at least 30 days after the compulsory licensee’s receipt of the request and any information (such as a postal or email address, as the case may be) that is necessary for the compulsory licensee to make the change.

(4)(i) In any case where a Monthly Statement of Account is sent by mail or reputable courier service and the Monthly Statement of Account is returned to the sender because the copyright owner or agent is no longer located at that address or has refused to accept delivery, or the Monthly Statement of Account is sent by electronic mail and is undeliverable, or in any case where an address for the copyright owner is not known, the Monthly Statement of Account, together with any evidence of mailing or attempted delivery by courier service or electronic mail, may be filed in the Licensing Division of the Copyright Office. Any Monthly Statement of Account submitted for filing in the Copyright Office shall be accompanied by a brief statement of the reason why it was not served on the copyright owner. A written acknowledgment of receipt and filing will be provided to the sender.

(ii) The Copyright Office will not accept any royalty fees submitted with Monthly Statements of Account under this section.

(iii) Neither the filing of a Monthly Statement of Account in the Copyright Office, nor the failure to file such Monthly Statement, shall have effect other than that which may be attributed to it by a court of competent jurisdiction.

(iv) No filing fee will be required in the case of Monthly Statements of Account submitted to the Copyright Office under this section. Upon request and payment of the fee specified in § 201.3(e) of this chapter, a Certificate of Filing will be provided to the sender.

(5) Subject to paragraph (g)(6) of this section, a separate Monthly Statement of Account shall be served for each month during which there is any activity relevant to the payment of royalties under 17 U.S.C. 115. The Annual Statement of Account described in

§ 210.7 of this subpart does not replace any Monthly Statement of Account.

(6) Royalties under 17 U.S.C. 115 shall not be considered payable, and no Monthly Statement of Account shall be required, until the compulsory licensee’s cumulative unpaid royalties for the copyright owner equal at least one cent. Moreover, in any case in which the cumulative unpaid royalties under 17 U.S.C. 115 that would otherwise be payable by the compulsory licensee to the copyright owner are less than $5, and the copyright owner has not notified the compulsory licensee in writing that it wishes to receive Monthly Statements of Account reflecting payments of less than $5, the compulsory licensee may choose to defer the payment date for such royalties and provide no Monthly Statements of Account until the earlier of the time for rendering the Monthly Statement of Account for the month in which the compulsory licensee’s cumulative unpaid royalties under section 17 U.S.C. 115 for the copyright owner exceed $5 or the time for rendering the Annual Statement of Account, at which time the compulsory licensee may provide one statement and payment covering the entire period for which royalty payments were deferred.

(7) If the compulsory licensee is required, under applicable tax law and regulations, to make backup withholding from its payments required hereunder, the compulsory licensee shall indicate the amount of such withholding on the Monthly Statement or on or with the payment.

(8) If a Monthly Statement of Account is sent by certified mail or registered mail, a mailing receipt shall be sufficient to prove that service was timely. If a Monthly Statement of Account is sent by a reputable courier, documentation from the courier showing the first date of attempted delivery shall be sufficient to prove that service was timely. If a Monthly Statement of Account or a link thereto is sent by electronic mail, a return receipt shall be sufficient to prove that service was timely. In the absence of the foregoing, the compulsory licensee shall bear the burden of proving that the Monthly Statement of Account was served in a timely manner.[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014, as amended at 79 FR 60978, Oct. 9, 2014; 83 FR 63065, Dec. 7, 2018; 84 FR 10686, Mar. 22, 2019. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]§ 210.7 Annual statements of account.

(a) Forms. The Copyright Office does not provide printed forms for the use of persons serving Annual Statements of Account.

(b) Annual period. Any Annual Statement of Account shall cover the full fiscal year of the compulsory licensee.

(c) General content. An Annual Statement of Account shall be clearly and prominently identified as an “Annual Statement of Account Under Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords,” and shall include a clear statement of the following information:

(1) The fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement of Account.

(3) If the compulsory licensee is a business organization, the name and title of the chief executive officer, managing partner, sole proprietor or other person similarly responsible for the management of such entity.

(4) The full address, including a specific number and street name or rural route, or the place of business of the compulsory licensee (a post office box or similar designation will not be sufficient for this purpose except where it is the only address that can be used in that geographic location).

(5) For each nondramatic musical work that is owned by the same copyright owner being served with the Annual Statement and that is embodied in phonorecords covered by the compulsory license, a detailed statement of all of the information called for in paragraph (d) of this section.

(6) The total royalty payable for the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement computed in accordance with the requirements of § 210.6, and, in the case of offerings for which royalties are calculated pursuant to applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a percentage-rate basis, calculations showing in detail how the royalty was computed (for these purposes, the applicable royalty as specified in applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a cents-per-unit basis shall be payable for every phonorecord “distributed” during the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement).

(7) The total sum paid under Monthly Statements of Account by the compulsory licensee to the copyright owner being served with the Annual Statement during the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement.

(8) In any case where the compulsory license falls within the provisions of § 210.5, a clear description of the action or proceeding involved, including the date of the final judgment or definitive finding described in that section.

(9) Any late fees, if applicable, included in any payment associated with the Annual Statement.

(d) Specific content of annual statements – (1) Accounting of phonorecords subject to a cents rate royalty structure. The information called for by paragraph (c)(5) of this section shall, with respect to each nondramatic musical work as to which the compulsory licensee has made and distributed phonorecords subject to applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a cents-per-unit basis, include a separate listing of each of the following items of information:

(i) The number of phonorecords made through the end of the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement, including any made during earlier years.

(ii) The number of phonorecords which have never been relinquished from possession of the compulsory licensee through the end of the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement.

(iii) The number of phonorecords involuntarily relinquished from possession (as through fire or theft) of the compulsory licensee during the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement and any earlier years, together with a description of the facts of such involuntary relinquishment.

(iv) The number of phonorecords “distributed” by the compulsory licensee during all years before the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement.

(v) The number of phonorecords relinquished from possession of the compulsory licensee for purposes of sale during the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement accompanied by a privilege of returning unsold records for credit or exchange, but not “distributed” by the end of that year.

(vi) The number of phonorecords “distributed” by the compulsory licensee during the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement.

(vii) The per unit statutory royalty rate applicable to the relevant configuration.

(viii) The total royalty payable for the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement for the item described by the set of information called for, and broken down as required, by this paragraph (d)(1).

(ix) The phonorecord identification information required by paragraph (d)(3) of this section.

(2) Accounting of phonorecords subject to a percentage rate royalty structure. (i) The information called for by paragraph (c)(5) of this section shall identify each offering for which royalties are to be calculated separately and, with respect to each nondramatic musical work as to which the compulsory licensee has made and distributed phonorecords subject to applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, or any other provisions, requiring computation of applicable royalties on a percentage-rate basis, include the number of plays, constructive plays, or other payable units during the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement, together with, and which if necessary shall be broken down to identify separately, the following:

(A) The total royalty payable for the fiscal year for the item described by the set of information called for, and broken down as required, by paragraph (d)(3) of this section (i.e., the per-work royalty allocation for the relevant sound recording and offering).

(B) The phonorecord identification information required by paragraph (d)(3) of this section.

(ii) If the information given under paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section does not reconcile, the Annual Statement shall also include a clear and detailed explanation of the difference.

(iii) In any case where a licensee serves an Annual Statement of Account based on anticipated payments or interim public performance royalty rates prior to the final determination of final public performance royalties for all musical works used by the service in the relevant fiscal year, the licensee shall serve an Amended Annual Statement of Account within six months from the date such public performance royalties have been established. The Amended Annual Statement of Account shall recalculate the royalty fees reported on the relevant Annual Statement of Account to adjust for any change to the public performance rate used to calculate the royalties reported. Service shall be made in accordance with paragraph (g) of this section. Certification of the Amended Annual Statement shall be made in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section, except that the CPA examination under paragraph (f)(2) of this section may be limited to the licensee’s recalculation of royalty fees in accordance with this paragraph.

(3) Identification of phonorecords in annual statements. The information required by this paragraph shall include, and if necessary shall be broken down to identify separately, the following:

(i) The title of the nondramatic musical work subject to compulsory license.

(iii) The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) associated with the relevant sound recording, if known; and at least one of the following, as applicable and available for tracking sales and/or usage:

(A) The catalog number or numbers and label name or names, used on or associated with the phonorecords;

(B) The Universal Product Code (UPC) or similar code used on or associated with the phonorecords; or

(C) The sound recording identification number assigned by the compulsory licensee or a third-party distributor to the relevant sound recording;

(iv) The names of the principal recording artist or group engaged in rendering the performances fixed on the phonorecords.

(v) The playing time of the relevant sound recording, except that playing time is not required in the case of ringtones or licensed activity to which no overtime adjustment is applicable.

(vi) If the compulsory licensee chooses to allocate its payments between co-owners of the copyright in the nondramatic musical work as described in paragraph (g)(1) of § 210.6, and thus pays the copyright owner (or agent) receiving the statement less than one hundred percent of the applicable royalty, the percentage share paid.

(vii) The names for the writer or writers of the nondramatic musical work, or the International Standard Name Identifiers (ISNIs) or other unique identifier of the writer or writers, if known.

(viii) The International Standard Work Code (ISWC) or other unique identifier for the nondramatic musical work, if known.

(e) Clear statement. The information required by paragraph (c) of this section requires intelligible, legible, and unambiguous statements in the Annual Statement of Account without incorporation by reference of facts or information contained in other documents or records.

(f) Certification. (1) Each Annual Statement of Account shall be accompanied by:

(i) The printed or typewritten name of the person who is signing the Annual Statement of Account on behalf of the compulsory licensee.

(ii) A signature, which in the case of a compulsory licensee that is a corporation or partnership, shall be the signature of a duly authorized officer of the corporation or of a partner.

(iii) The date of signature.

(iv) If the compulsory licensee is a corporation or partnership, the title or official position held in the partnership or corporation by the person signing the Annual Statement of Account.

(v) The following statement: I am duly authorized to sign this Annual Statement of Account on behalf of the compulsory licensee.

(2) Each Annual Statement of Account shall also be certified by a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Such certification shall comply with the following requirements:

(i) Except as provided in paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section, the accountant shall certify that it has conducted an examination of the Annual Statement of Account prepared by the compulsory licensee in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and has rendered an opinion based on such examination that the Annual Statement conforms with the standards in paragraph (f)(2)(iv) of this section.

(ii) If such accountant determines in its professional judgment that the volume of data attributable to a particular compulsory licensee renders it impracticable to certify the Annual Statement of Account as required by paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section, the accountant may instead certify the following:

(A) That the accountant has conducted an examination in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants of the following assertions by the compulsory licensee’s management:

(1) That the processes used by or on behalf of the compulsory licensee, including calculation of statutory royalties, generated Annual Statements that conform with the standards in paragraph (f)(2)(iv) of this section; and

(2) That the internal controls relevant to the processes used by or on behalf of the compulsory licensee to generate Annual Statements were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the Annual Statements.

(B) That such examination included examining, either on a test basis or otherwise as the accountant considered necessary under the circumstances and in its professional judgment, evidence supporting the management assertions in paragraph (f)(2)(ii)(A) of this section, including data relevant to the calculation of statutory royalties, and performing such other procedures as the accountant considered necessary in the circumstances.

(C) That the accountant has rendered an opinion based on such examination that the processes used to generate the Annual Statement were designed and operated effectively to generate Annual Statements that conform with the standards in paragraph (f)(2)(iv) of this section, and that the internal controls relevant to the processes used to generate Annual Statements were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the Annual Statements.

(iii) In the event a third party or third parties acting on behalf of the compulsory licensee provided services related to the Annual Statement, the accountant making a certification under either paragraph (f)(2)(i) or paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section may, as the accountant considers necessary under the circumstances and in its professional judgment, rely on a report and opinion rendered by a licensed Certified Public Accountant in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants that the processes and/or internal controls of the third party or third parties relevant to the generation of the compulsory licensee’s Annual Statements were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the Annual Statements, if such reliance is disclosed in the certification.

(iv) An Annual Statement of Account conforms with the standards of this paragraph if it presents fairly, in all material respects, the compulsory licensee’s usage of the copyright owner’s musical works under compulsory license during the period covered by the Annual Statement, the statutory royalties applicable thereto, and such other data as are relevant to the calculation of statutory royalties in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115 and applicable regulations.

(v) Each certificate shall be signed by an individual, or in the name of a partnership or a professional corporation with two or more shareholders. The certificate number and jurisdiction are not required if the certificate is signed in the name of a partnership or a professional corporation with two or more shareholders.

(3) If the Annual Statement of Account is served by mail or by reputable courier service, the Annual Statement of Account shall be signed by handwritten signature. If the Annual Statement of Account is served electronically, the Annual Statement of Account shall be signed by electronic signature as defined in section 7006(5) of title 15 of the United States Code.

(4) If the Annual Statement of Account is served electronically, the compulsory licensee may serve an electronic facsimile of the original certification of the Annual Statement of Account signed by the licensed Certified Public Accountant. The compulsory licensee shall retain the original certification of the Annual Statement of Account signed by the licensed Certified Public Accountant for the period identified in § 210.8, which shall be made available to the copyright owner upon demand.

(g) Service. (1) The service of an Annual Statement of Account on a copyright owner under this subpart may be accomplished by means of service on either the copyright owner or an agent of the copyright owner with authority to receive Statements of Account on behalf of the copyright owner. In the case where the work has more than one copyright owner, the service of the Statement of Account on one co-owner or upon an agent of one of the co-owners shall be sufficient with respect to all co-owners. Each Annual Statement of Account shall be served on the copyright owner or the agent to whom or which it is directed by mail, by reputable courier service, or by electronic delivery as set forth in paragraph (g)(2) of this section on or before the 20th day of the sixth month following the end of the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement. It shall not be necessary to file a copy of the Annual Statement in the Copyright Office. An Annual Statement of Account shall be served for each fiscal year during which at least one Monthly Statement of Account was required to have been served under § 210.6(g).

(2) If an Annual Statement of Account is being sent electronically, it may be sent or made available to a copyright owner or its agent in a readily accessible electronic format consistent with prevailing industry practices applicable to comparable electronic delivery of comparable financial information.

(3) If the copyright owner or agent has made a request pursuant to § 210.6(g)(3) to receive statements in electronic or paper form, such request shall also apply to Annual Statements to be rendered on or after the date that the request is effective with respect to Monthly Statements.

(4) In any case where the amount required to be stated in the Annual Statement of Account under paragraph (c)(6) of this section (i.e., the total royalty payable) is greater than the amount stated in that Annual Statement under paragraph (c)(7) of this section (i.e., the total sum paid), the difference between such amounts shall also be served on or before the 20th day of the sixth month following the end of the fiscal year covered by the Annual Statement. The Annual Statement and payment may be sent together or separately, but if sent separately, the payment must include information reasonably sufficient to allow the payee to match the Annual Statement and the payment. The delivery of such sum does not require the copyright owner to accept such sum, or to forego any right, relief, or remedy which may be available under law. In any case where the amount required to be stated in the Annual Statement of Account under paragraph (c)(6) of this section is less than the amount stated in that Annual Statement under paragraph (c)(7) of this section, the difference between such amounts shall be available to the compulsory licensee as a credit.

(5)(i) In any case where an Annual Statement of Account is sent by mail or by reputable courier service and is returned to the sender because the copyright owner or agent is no longer located at that address or has refused to accept delivery, or the Annual Statement of Account is sent by electronic mail and is undeliverable, or in any case where an address for the copyright owner is not known, the Annual Statement of Account, together with any evidence of mailing or attempted delivery by courier service or electronic mail, may be filed in the Licensing Division of the Copyright Office. Any Annual Statement of Account submitted for filing shall be accompanied by a brief statement of the reason why it was not served on the copyright owner. A written acknowledgment of receipt and filing will be provided to the sender.

(ii) The Copyright Office will not accept any royalty fees submitted with Annual Statements of Account under paragraph (g)(5)(i) of this section.

(iii) Neither the filing of an Annual Statement of Account in the Copyright Office, nor the failure to file such Annual Statement, shall have any effect other than that which may be attributed to it by a court of competent jurisdiction.

(iv) No filing fee will be required in the case of Annual Statements of Account submitted to the Copyright Office under paragraph (g)(5)(i) of this section. Upon request and payment of the fee specified in § 201.3(e) of this chapter, a Certificate of Filing will be provided to the sender.

(6) If an Annual Statement of Account is sent by certified mail or registered mail, a mailing receipt shall be sufficient to prove that service was timely. If an Annual Statement of Account is sent by a reputable courier, documentation from the courier showing the first date of attempted delivery shall be sufficient to prove that service was timely. If an Annual Statement of Account or a link thereto is sent by electronic mail, a return receipt shall be sufficient to prove that service was timely. In the absence of the foregoing, the compulsory licensee shall bear the burden of proving that the Annual Statement of Account was served in a timely manner.

(h) Annual Statements for periods before the effective date of this regulation. If a copyright owner did not receive an Annual Statement of Account from a compulsory licensee for any fiscal year ending after March 1, 2009 and before November 17, 2014, the copyright owner may, at any time before May 17, 2015, make a request in writing to that compulsory licensee requesting an Annual Statement of Account for the relevant fiscal year conforming to the requirements of this section. If such a request is made, the compulsory licensee shall provide the Annual Statement of Account within six months after receiving the request. If such a circumstance and request applies to more than one of the compulsory licensee’s fiscal years, such years may be combined on a single statement.[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014, as amended at 79 FR 60978, Oct. 9, 2014; 82 FR 9365, Feb. 6, 2017; 84 FR 10686, Mar. 22, 2019. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.8 Documentation.

All compulsory licensees shall, for a period of at least five years from the date of service of an Annual Statement of Account or Amended Annual Statement of Account, keep and retain in their possession all records and documents necessary and appropriate to support fully the information set forth in such Annual Statement or Amended Annual Statement and in Monthly Statements served during the fiscal year covered by such Annual Statement or Amended Annual Statement.[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.9 Harmless errors.

Errors in a Monthly or Annual Statement of Account that do not materially prejudice the rights of the copyright owner shall be deemed harmless, and shall not render that statement of account invalid or provide a basis for the exercise of the remedies set forth in 17 U.S.C. 115(c)(2)(J).[79 FR 56206, Sept. 18, 2014, as amended at 83 FR 63065, Dec. 7, 2018. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.10 Statements required for limitation on liability for digital music providers for the transition period prior to the license availability date.

This section specifies the requirements for a digital music provider to report and pay royalties for purposes of being eligible for the limitation on liability described in 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(10). Terms used in this section that are defined in 17 U.S.C. 115(e) shall have the meaning given those terms in 17 U.S.C. 115(e).

(a) If the required matching efforts are successful in identifying and locating a copyright owner of a musical work (or share thereof) by the end of the calendar month in which the digital music provider first makes use of the work, the digital music provider shall provide statements of account and pay royalties to such copyright owner as a compulsory licensee in accordance with this subpart.

(b) If the copyright owner is not identified or located by the end of the calendar month in which the digital music provider first makes use of the work, the digital music provider shall accrue and hold royalties calculated under the applicable statutory rate in accordance with usage of the work, from initial use of the work until the accrued royalties can be paid to the copyright owner or are required to be transferred to the mechanical licensing collective, as follows:

(1) Accrued royalties shall be maintained by the digital music provider in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

(2) If a copyright owner of an unmatched musical work (or share thereof) is identified and located by or to the digital music provider before the license availability date, the digital music provider shall –

(i) Not later than 45 calendar days after the end of the calendar month during which the copyright owner was identified and located, pay the copyright owner all accrued royalties, such payment to be accompanied by a cumulative statement of account that includes all of the information that would have been provided to the copyright owner had the digital music provider been providing Monthly Statements of Account as a compulsory licensee in accordance with this subpart to the copyright owner from initial use of the work, and including, in addition to the information and certification required by § 210.6, a clear identification of the total period covered by the cumulative statement and the total royalty payable for the period;

(ii) Beginning with the accounting period following the calendar month in which the copyright owner was identified and located, and for all other accounting periods prior to the license availability date, provide Monthly Statements of Account and pay royalties to the copyright owner as a compulsory licensee in accordance with this subpart; and

(iii) Beginning with the monthly royalty reporting period commencing on the license availability date, report usage and pay royalties for such musical work (or share thereof) for such reporting period and reporting periods thereafter to the mechanical licensing collective, as required under 17 U.S.C. 115(d) and applicable regulations.

(3) If a copyright owner of an unmatched musical work (or share thereof) is not identified and located by the license availability date, the digital music provider shall –

(i) Not later than 45 calendar days after the license availability date, transfer all accrued royalties to the mechanical licensing collective, such payment to be accompanied by a cumulative statement of account that includes all of the information that would have been provided to the copyright owner had the digital music provider been serving Monthly Statements of Account as a compulsory licensee in 210.29accordance with this subpart on the copyright owner from initial use of the work, accompanied by a certification by a duly authorized officer of the digital music provider that the digital music provider has fulfilled the requirements of 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(10)(B)(i) and (ii) but has not been successful in locating or identifying the copyright owner, and further including, in addition to the information and certification required by § 210.6, a clear identification of the total period covered by the cumulative statement and the total royalty payable for the period; and

(ii) Beginning with the monthly royalty reporting period commencing on the license availability date, report usage and pay royalties for such musical work (or share thereof) for such period and reporting periods thereafter to the mechanical licensing collective, as required under 17 U.S.C. 115(d) and applicable regulations.[83 FR 63065, Dec. 7, 2018. Redesignated at 85 FR 58143, Sept. 17, 2020]

§ 210.12-210.20 [Reserved]

§ 210.21 General.

This subpart prescribes rules for the compulsory blanket license to make and distribute digital phonorecord deliveries of nondramatic musical works pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d), including rules for digital music providers, significant nonblanket licensees, the mechanical licensing collective, and the digital licensee coordinator.

§ 210.22 Definitions.

For purposes of this subpart:

(a) Unless otherwise specified, the terms used have the meanings set forth in 17 U.S.C. 115(e).

(b) The term blanket licensee means a digital music provider operating under a blanket license.

(d) The term GAAP means U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, except that if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission permits or requires entities with securities that are publicly traded in the U.S. to employ International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or as accepted by the Securities and Exchange Commission if different from that issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, in lieu of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, then an entity may employ International Financial Reporting Standards as “GAAP” for purposes of this section.

(e) The term IPI means interested parties information code.

(f) The term ISNI means international standard name identifier.

(g) The term ISRC means international standard recording code.

(h) The term ISWC means international standard musical work code.

(i) The term producer means the primary person(s) contracted by and accountable to the content owner for the task of delivering the sound recording as a finished product.

(j) The term UPC means universal product code.

§ 210.23 Designation of the mechanical licensing collective and digital licensee coordinator.

The following entities are designated pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(3)(B) and (d)(5)(B). Additional information regarding these entities is available on the Copyright Office’s website.

(a) Mechanical Licensing Collective, incorporated in Delaware on March 5, 2019, is designated as the mechanical licensing collective; and

(b) Digital Licensee Coordinator, Inc., incorporated in Delaware on March 20, 2019, is designated as the digital licensee coordinator.

§ 210.24 Notices of blanket license.

(a) General. This section prescribes rules under which a digital music provider completes and submits a notice of license to the mechanical licensing collective pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(2)(A) for purposes of obtaining a statutory blanket license.

(b) Form and content. A notice of license shall be prepared in accordance with any reasonable formatting instructions established by the mechanical licensing collective, and shall include all of the following information:

(1) The full legal name of the digital music provider and, if different, the trade or consumer-facing brand name(s) of the service(s), including any specific offering(s), through which the digital music provider is engaging, or seeks to engage, in any covered activity.

(2) The full address, including a specific number and street name or rural route, of the place of business of the digital music provider. A post office box or similar designation will not be sufficient except where it is the only address that can be used in that geographic location.

(3) A telephone number and email address for the digital music provider where an individual responsible for managing the blanket license can be reached.

(4) Any website(s), software application(s), or other online locations(s) where the digital music provider’s applicable service(s) is/are, or expected to be, made available.

(5) A description sufficient to reasonably establish the digital music provider’s eligibility for a blanket license and to provide reasonable notice to the mechanical licensing collective, copyright owners, and songwriters of the manner in which the digital music provider is engaging, or seeks to engage, in any covered activity pursuant to the blanket license. Such description shall be sufficient if it includes at least the following information:

(i) A statement that the digital music provider has a good-faith belief, informed by review of relevant law and regulations, that it:

(A) Satisfies all requirements to be eligible for a blanket license, including that it satisfies the eligibility criteria to be considered a digital music provider pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(e)(8); and

(B) Is, or will be before the date of initial use of musical works pursuant to the blanket license, able to comply with all payments, terms, and responsibilities associated with the blanket license.

(ii) A statement that where the digital music provider seeks or expects to engage in any activity identified in its notice of license, it has a good-faith intention to do so within a reasonable period of time.

(iii) A general description of the digital music provider’s service(s), or expected service(s), and the manner in which it uses, or seeks to use, phonorecords of nondramatic musical works.

(iv) Identification of each of the following digital phonorecord delivery configurations the digital music provider is, or seeks to be, making as part of its covered activities:

(A) Permanent downloads.

(B) Limited downloads.

(D) Noninteractive streams.

(E) Other configurations, accompanied by a brief description.

(v) Identification of each of the following service types the digital music provider offers, or seeks to offer, as part of its covered activities (the digital music provider may, but is not required to, associate specific service types with specific digital phonorecord delivery configurations or with particular types of activities or offerings that may be defined in part 385 of this title):

(A) Subscriptions.

(B) Bundles.

(D) Services available through discounted pricing plans, such as for families or students.

(E) Free-to-the-user services.

(F) Other applicable services, accompanied by a brief description.

(vi) Any other information the digital music provider wishes to provide.

(6) The date, or expected date, of initial use of musical works pursuant to the blanket license.

(7) Identification of any amendment made pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section, including the submission date of the notice being amended.

(8) A description of any applicable voluntary license or individual download license the digital music provider is, or expects to be, operating under concurrently with the blanket license that is sufficient for the mechanical licensing collective to fulfill its obligations under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(3)(G)(i)(I)(bb). This description should be provided as an addendum to the rest of the notice of license to help preserve any confidentiality to which it may be entitled. With respect to any applicable voluntary license or individual download license executed and in effect before March 31, 2021, the description required by this paragraph (b)(8) must be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective either no later than 10 business days after such license is executed, or at least 90 calendar days before delivering a report of usage covering the first reporting period during which such license is in effect, whichever is later. For any reporting period ending on or before March 31, 2021, the mechanical licensing collective shall not be required to undertake any obligations otherwise imposed on it by this subpart with respect to any voluntary license or individual download license for which the collective has not received the description required by this paragraph (b)(8) at least 90 calendar days prior to the delivery of a report of usage for such period, but such obligations attach and are ongoing with respect to such license for subsequent periods. The rest of the notice of license may be delivered separately from such description. The description required by this paragraph (b)(8) shall be sufficient if it includes at least the following information:

(i) An identification of each of the digital music provider’s services, including by reference to any applicable types of activities or offerings that may be defined in part 385 of this title, through which musical works are, or are expected to be, used pursuant to any such voluntary license or individual download license. If such a license pertains to all of the digital music provider’s applicable services, it may state so without identifying each service.

(ii) The start and end dates.

(iii) The musical work copyright owner, identified by name and any known and appropriate unique identifiers, and appropriate contact information for the musical work copyright owner or for an administrator or other representative who has entered into an applicable license on behalf of the relevant copyright owner.

(iv) A satisfactory identification of any applicable catalog exclusions.

(v) At the digital music provider’s option, and in lieu of providing the information listed in paragraph (b)(8)(iv) of this section, a list of all covered musical works, identified by appropriate unique identifiers.

(vi) A unique identifier for each such license.

(c) Certification and signature. The notice of license shall be signed by an appropriate duly authorized officer or representative of the digital music provider. The signature shall be accompanied by the name and title of the person signing the notice and the date of the signature. The notice may be signed electronically. The person signing the notice shall certify that he or she has appropriate authority to submit the notice of license to the mechanical licensing collective on behalf of the digital music provider and that all information submitted as part of the notice is true, accurate, and complete to the best of the signer’s knowledge, information, and belief, and is provided in good faith.

(d) Submission, fees, and acceptance. Except as provided by 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(9)(A), to obtain a blanket license, a digital music provider must submit a notice of license to the mechanical licensing collective. Notices of license shall be submitted to the mechanical licensing collective in a manner reasonably determined by the collective. No fee may be charged for submitting notices of license. Upon submitting a notice of license to the mechanical licensing collective, a digital music provider shall be provided with a prompt response from the collective confirming receipt of the notice and the date of receipt. The mechanical licensing collective shall send any rejection of a notice of license to both the street address and email address provided in the notice.

(e) Harmless errors. Errors in the submission or content of a notice of license, including the failure to timely submit an amended notice of license, that do not materially affect the adequacy of the information required to serve the purposes of 17 U.S.C. 115(d) shall be deemed harmless, and shall not render the notice invalid or provide a basis for the mechanical licensing collective to reject a notice or terminate a blanket license. This paragraph (e) shall apply only to errors made in good faith and without any intention to deceive, mislead, or conceal relevant information.

(f) Amendments. A digital music provider may submit an amended notice of license to cure any deficiency in a rejected notice pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(2)(A). A digital music provider operating under a blanket license must submit a new notice of license within 45 calendar days after any of the information required by paragraphs (b)(1) through (6) of this section contained in the notice on file with the mechanical licensing collective has changed. An amended notice shall indicate that it is an amendment and shall contain the submission date of the notice being amended. The mechanical licensing collective shall retain copies of all prior notices of license submitted by a digital music provider. Where the information required by paragraph (b)(8) of this section has changed, instead of submitting an amended notice of license, the digital music provider must promptly deliver updated information to the mechanical licensing collective in an alternative manner reasonably determined by the collective. To the extent commercially reasonable, the digital music provider must deliver such updated information either no later than 10 business days after such license is executed, or at least 30 calendar days before delivering a report of usage covering the first reporting period during which such license is in effect, whichever is later. Except as otherwise provided for by paragraph (b)(8) of this section, the mechanical licensing collective shall not be required to undertake any obligations otherwise imposed on it by this subpart with respect to any voluntary license or individual download license for which the collective has not received the description required by paragraph (b)(8) of this section at least 30 calendar days prior to the delivery of a report of usage for such period, but such obligations attach and are ongoing with respect to such license for subsequent periods.

(g) Transition to blanket licenses. Where a digital music provider obtains a blanket license automatically pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(9)(A) and seeks to continue operating under the blanket license, a notice of license must be submitted to the mechanical licensing collective within 45 calendar days after the license availability date and the mechanical licensing collective shall begin accepting such notices at least 30 calendar days before the license availability date, provided, however, that any description required by paragraph (b)(8) of this section must be delivered within the time period described in paragraph (b)(8). In such cases, the blanket license shall be effective as of the license availability date, rather than the date on which the notice is submitted to the collective. Failure to comply with this paragraph (g), including by failing to timely submit the required notice or cure a rejected notice, shall not affect an applicable digital music provider’s blanket license, except that such blanket license may become subject to default and termination under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(E). The mechanical licensing collective shall not take any action pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(E) before the conclusion of any proceedings under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(2)(A)(iv) or (v), provided that the digital music provider meets the blanket license’s other required terms and conditions.

(h) Additional information. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the mechanical licensing collective from seeking additional information from a digital music provider that is not required by this section, which the digital music provider may voluntarily elect to provide, provided that the collective may not represent that such information is required to comply with the terms of this section.

(i) Public access. The mechanical licensing collective shall maintain a current, free, and publicly accessible and searchable online list of all blanket licenses that, subject to any confidentiality to which they may be entitled, includes:

(1) All information contained in each notice of license, including amended and rejected notices;

(2) Contact information for all blanket licensees;

(3) The effective dates of all blanket licenses;

(4) For any amended or rejected notice, a clear indication of its amended or rejected status and its relationship to other relevant notices;

(5) For any rejected notice, the collective’s reason(s) for rejecting it; and

(6) For any terminated blanket license, a clear indication of its terminated status, the date of termination, and the collective’s reason(s) for terminating it.

§ 210.25 Notices of nonblanket activity.

(a) General. This section prescribes rules under which a significant nonblanket licensee completes and submits a notice of nonblanket activity to the mechanical licensing collective pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(A) for purposes of notifying the mechanical licensing collective that the licensee has been engaging in covered activities.

(b) Form and content. A notice of nonblanket activity shall be prepared in accordance with any reasonable formatting instructions established by the mechanical licensing collective, and shall include all of the following information:

(1) The full legal name of the significant nonblanket licensee and, if different, the trade or consumer-facing brand name(s) of the service(s), including any specific offering(s), through which the significant nonblanket licensee is engaging, or expects to engage, in any covered activity.

(2) The full address, including a specific number and street name or rural route, of the place of business of the significant nonblanket licensee. A post office box or similar designation will not be sufficient except where it is the only address that can be used in that geographic location.

(3) A telephone number and email address for the significant nonblanket licensee where an individual responsible for managing licenses associated with covered activities can be reached.

(4) Any website(s), software application(s), or other online locations(s) where the significant nonblanket licensee’s applicable service(s) is/are, or expected to be, made available.

(5) A description sufficient to reasonably establish the licensee’s qualifications as a significant nonblanket licensee and to provide reasonable notice to the mechanical licensing collective, digital licensee coordinator, copyright owners, and songwriters of the manner in which the significant nonblanket licensee is engaging, or expects to engage, in any covered activity. Such description shall be sufficient if it includes at least the following information:

(i) A statement that the significant nonblanket licensee has a good-faith belief, informed by review of relevant law and regulations, that it satisfies all requirements to qualify as a significant nonblanket licensee under 17 U.S.C. 115(e)(31).

(ii) A statement that where the significant nonblanket licensee expects to engage in any activity identified in its notice of nonblanket activity, it has a good-faith intention to do so within a reasonable period of time.

(iii) A general description of the significant nonblanket licensee’s service(s), or expected service(s), and the manner in which it uses, or expects to use, phonorecords of nondramatic musical works.

(iv) Identification of each of the following digital phonorecord delivery configurations the significant nonblanket licensee is, or expects to be, making as part of its covered activities:

(A) Permanent downloads.

(B) Limited downloads.

(D) Noninteractive streams.

(E) Other configurations, accompanied by a brief description.

(v) Identification of each of the following service types the significant nonblanket licensee offers, or expects to offer, as part of its covered activities (the significant nonblanket licensee may, but is not required to, associate specific service types with specific digital phonorecord delivery configurations or with particular types of activities or offerings that may be defined in part 385 of this title):

(A) Subscriptions.

(B) Bundles.

(D) Services available through discounted pricing plans, such as for families or students.

(E) Free-to-the-user services.

(F) Other applicable services, accompanied by a brief description.

(vi) Any other information the significant nonblanket licensee wishes to provide.

(6) Acknowledgement of whether the significant nonblanket licensee is operating under one or more individual download licenses.

(7) The date of initial use of musical works pursuant to any covered activity.

(8) Identification of any amendment made pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section, including the submission date of the notice being amended.

(c) Certification and signature. The notice of nonblanket activity shall be signed by an appropriate duly authorized officer or representative of the significant nonblanket licensee. The signature shall be accompanied by the name and title of the person signing the notice and the date of the signature. The notice may be signed electronically. The person signing the notice shall certify that he or she has appropriate authority to submit the notice of nonblanket activity to the mechanical licensing collective on behalf of the significant nonblanket licensee and that all information submitted as part of the notice is true, accurate, and complete to the best of the signer’s knowledge, information, and belief, and is provided in good faith.

(d) Submission, fees, and acceptance. Notices of nonblanket activity shall be submitted to the mechanical licensing collective in a manner reasonably determined by the collective. No fee may be charged for submitting notices of nonblanket activity. Upon submitting a notice of nonblanket activity to the mechanical licensing collective, a significant nonblanket licensee shall be provided with a prompt response from the collective confirming receipt of the notice and the date of receipt.

(e) Harmless errors. Errors in the submission or content of a notice of nonblanket activity, including the failure to timely submit an amended notice of nonblanket activity, that do not materially affect the adequacy of the information required to serve the purposes of 17 U.S.C. 115(d) shall be deemed harmless, and shall not render the notice invalid or provide a basis for the mechanical licensing collective or digital licensee coordinator to engage in legal enforcement efforts under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(C). This paragraph (e) shall apply only to errors made in good faith and without any intention to deceive, mislead, or conceal relevant information.

(f) Amendments. A significant nonblanket licensee must submit a new notice of nonblanket activity with its report of usage that is next due after any of the information required by paragraphs (b)(1) through (7) of this section contained in the notice on file with the mechanical licensing collective has changed. An amended notice shall indicate that it is an amendment and shall contain the submission date of the notice being amended. The mechanical licensing collective shall retain copies of all prior notices of nonblanket activity submitted by a significant nonblanket licensee.

(g) Transition to blanket licenses. Where a digital music provider that would otherwise qualify as a significant nonblanket licensee obtains a blanket license automatically pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(9)(A) and does not seek to operate under the blanket license, if such licensee submits a valid notice of nonblanket activity within 45 calendar days after the license availability date in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(A)(i), such licensee shall not be considered to have ever operated under the statutory blanket license until such time as the licensee submits a valid notice of license pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(2)(A).

(h) Additional information. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the mechanical licensing collective from seeking additional information from a significant nonblanket licensee that is not required by this section, which the significant nonblanket licensee may voluntarily elect to provide, provided that the collective may not represent that such information is required to comply with the terms of this section.

(i) Public access. The mechanical licensing collective shall maintain a current, free, and publicly accessible and searchable online list of all significant nonblanket licensees that, subject to any confidentiality to which they may be entitled, includes:

(1) All information contained in each notice of nonblanket activity, including amended notices;

(2) Contact information for all significant nonblanket licensees;

(3) The date of receipt of each notice of nonblanket activity; and

(4) For any amended notice, a clear indication of its amended status and its relationship to other relevant notices.

§ 210.26 Data collection and delivery efforts by digital music providers and musical work copyright owners.

(a) General. This section prescribes rules under which digital music providers and musical work copyright owners shall engage in efforts to collect and provide information to the mechanical licensing collective that may assist the collective in matching musical works to sound recordings embodying those works and identifying and locating the copyright owners of those works.

(b) Digital music providers. (1)(i) Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(B), in addition to obtaining sound recording names and featured artists and providing them in reports of usage, a digital music provider operating under a blanket license shall engage in good-faith, commercially reasonable efforts to obtain from sound recording copyright owners and other licensors of sound recordings made available through the service(s) of such digital music provider the information belonging to the categories identified in § 210.27(e)(1)(i)(E) and (e)(1)(ii), without regard to any limitations that may apply to the reporting of such information in reports of usage. Such efforts must be undertaken periodically, and be specific and targeted to obtaining information not previously obtained from the applicable owner or other licensor for the specific sound recordings and musical works embodied therein for which the digital music provider lacks such information. Such efforts must also solicit updates for any previously obtained information if reasonably requested by the mechanical licensing collective. The digital music provider shall keep the mechanical licensing collective reasonably informed of the efforts it undertakes pursuant to this section.

(ii) Any information required by paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section, including any updates to such information, provided to the digital music provider by sound recording copyright owners or other licensors of sound recordings (or their representatives) shall be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective in reports of usage in accordance with § 210.27(e).

(2)(i) Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a digital music provider may satisfy its obligations under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(B) with respect to a particular sound recording by arranging, or collectively arranging with others, for the mechanical licensing collective to receive the information required by paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section from an authoritative source of sound recording information, such as the collective designated by the Copyright Royalty Judges to collect and distribute royalties under the statutory licenses established in 17 U.S.C. 112 and 114, provided that:

(A) Such arrangement requires such source to inform, including through periodic updates, the digital music provider and mechanical licensing collective about any relevant gaps in its repertoire coverage known to such source, including but not limited to particular categories of information identified in § 210.27(e)(1)(i)(E) and (e)(1)(ii), sound recording copyright owners and/or other licensors of sound recordings (e.g., labels, distributors), genres, and/or countries of origin, that are either not covered or materially underrepresented as compared to overall market representation; and

(B) Such digital music provider does not have actual knowledge or has not been notified by the source, the mechanical licensing collective, or a copyright owner, licensor, or author (or their respective representatives, including by an administrator or a collective management organization) of the relevant sound recording or musical work that is embodied in such sound recording, that the source lacks such information for the relevant sound recording or a set of sound recordings encompassing such sound recording.

(ii) Satisfying the requirements of 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(B) in the manner set out in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section does not excuse a digital music provider from having to report sound recording and musical work information in accordance with § 210.27(e).

(3) The requirements of paragraph (b) of this section are without prejudice to what a court of competent jurisdiction may determine constitutes good-faith, commercially reasonable efforts for purposes of eligibility for the limitation on liability described in 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(10).

(c) Musical work copyright owners. (1) Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(3)(E)(iv), each musical work copyright owner with any musical work listed in the musical works database shall engage in commercially reasonable efforts to deliver to the mechanical licensing collective, including for use in the musical works database, by providing, to the extent a musical work copyright owner becomes aware that such information is not then available in the database and to the extent the musical work copyright owner has such missing information, information regarding the names of the sound recordings in which that copyright owner’s musical works (or shares thereof) are embodied, to the extent practicable.

(2) As used in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, “information regarding the names of the sound recordings” shall include, for each applicable sound recording:

(i) Sound recording name(s), including any alternative or parenthetical titles for the sound recording;

(ii) Featured artist(s); and

(iii) ISRC(s).

§ 210.27 Reports of usage and payment for blanket licensees.

(a) General. This section prescribes rules for the preparation and delivery of reports of usage and payment of royalties for the making and distribution of phonorecords of nondramatic musical works to the mechanical licensing collective by a digital music provider operating under a blanket license pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d). A blanket licensee shall report and pay royalties to the mechanical licensing collective on a monthly basis in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115(c)(2)(I), 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(A), and this section. A blanket licensee shall also report to the mechanical licensing collective on an annual basis in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115(c)(2)(I) and this section. A blanket licensee may make adjustments to its reports of usage and royalty payments in accordance with this section.

(b) Definitions. For purposes of this section, in addition to those terms defined in § 210.22:

(1) The term report of usage, unless otherwise specified, refers to all reports of usage required to be delivered by a blanket licensee to the mechanical licensing collective under the blanket license, including reports of adjustment. As used in this section, it does not refer to reports required to be delivered by significant nonblanket licensees under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(A)(ii) and § 210.28.

(2) A monthly report of usage is a report of usage accompanying monthly royalty payments identified in 17 U.S.C. 115(c)(2)(I) and 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(A), and required to be delivered by a blanket licensee to the mechanical licensing collective under the blanket license.

(3) An annual report of usage is a statement of account identified in 17 U.S.C. 115(c)(2)(I), and required to be delivered by a blanket licensee annually to the mechanical licensing collective under the blanket license.

(4) A report of adjustment is a report delivered by a blanket licensee to the mechanical licensing collective under the blanket license adjusting one or more previously delivered monthly reports of usage or annual reports of usage, including related royalty payments.

(c) Content of monthly reports of usage. A monthly report of usage shall be clearly and prominently identified as a “Monthly Report of Usage Under Compulsory Blanket License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords,” and shall include a clear statement of the following information:

(1) The period (month and year) covered by the monthly report of usage.

(2) The full legal name of the blanket licensee and, if different, the trade or consumer-facing brand name(s) of the service(s), including any specific offering(s), through which the blanket licensee engages in covered activities. If the blanket licensee has a unique DDEX identifier number, it must also be provided.

(3) The full address, including a specific number and street name or rural route, of the place of business of the blanket licensee. A post office box or similar designation will not be sufficient except where it is the only address that can be used in that geographic location.

(4) For each sound recording embodying a musical work that is used by the blanket licensee in covered activities during the applicable monthly reporting period, a detailed statement, from which the mechanical licensing collective may separate reported information for each applicable activity or offering including as may be defined in part 385 of this title, of all of:

(i) The royalty payment and accounting information required by paragraph (d) of this section; and

(ii) The sound recording and musical work information required by paragraph (e) of this section.

(5) For any voluntary license or individual download license in effect during the applicable monthly reporting period, the information required under § 210.24(b)(8). If this information has been separately provided to the mechanical licensing collective, it need not be contained in the monthly report of usage, provided the report states that the information has been provided separately and includes the date on which such information was last provided to the mechanical licensing collective.

(6) Where the blanket licensee will not receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section:

(i) The total royalty payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license for the applicable monthly reporting period, computed in accordance with the requirements of this section and part 385 of this title, and including detailed information regarding how the royalty was computed, with such total royalty payable broken down by each applicable activity or offering including as may be defined in part 385 of this title; and

(ii) The amount of late fees, if applicable, included in the payment associated with the monthly report of usage.

(d) Royalty payment and accounting information. The royalty payment and accounting information called for by paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section shall consist of the following:

(1) Calculations. (i) Where the blanket licensee will not receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, a detailed and step-by-step accounting of the calculation of royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license under applicable provisions of this section and part 385 of this title, sufficient to allow the mechanical licensing collective to assess the manner in which the blanket licensee determined the royalty owed and the accuracy of the royalty calculations, including but not limited to the number of payable units, including, as applicable, permanent downloads, plays, and constructive plays, for each reported sound recording, whether pursuant to a blanket license, voluntary license, or individual download license.

(ii) Where the blanket licensee will receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, all information necessary for the mechanical licensing collective to compute, in accordance with the requirements of this section and part 385 of this title, the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license, and all information necessary to enable the mechanical licensing collective to provide a detailed and step-by-step accounting of the calculation of such royalties under applicable provisions of this section and part 385 of this title, sufficient to allow each applicable copyright owner to assess the manner in which the mechanical licensing collective, using the blanket licensee’s information, determined the royalty owed and the accuracy of the royalty calculations, including but not limited to the number of payable units, including, as applicable, permanent downloads, plays, and constructive plays, for each reported sound recording, whether pursuant to a blanket license, voluntary license, or individual download license.

(2) Estimates. (i) Where computation of the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license depends on an input that is unable to be finally determined at the time the report of usage is delivered to the mechanical licensing collective and where the reason the input cannot be finally determined is outside of the blanket licensee’s control (e.g., as applicable, the amount of applicable public performance royalties and the amount of applicable consideration for sound recording copyright rights), a reasonable estimation of such input, determined in accordance with GAAP, may be used or provided by the blanket licensee. Royalty payments based on such estimates shall be adjusted pursuant to paragraph (k) of this section after being finally determined. A report of usage containing an estimate permitted by this paragraph (d)(2)(i) should identify each input that has been estimated, and provide the reason(s) why such input(s) needed to be estimated and an explanation as to the basis for the estimate(s).

(ii) Where the blanket licensee will not receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, and the blanket licensee is dependent upon the mechanical licensing collective to confirm usage subject to applicable voluntary licenses and individual download licenses, the blanket licensee shall compute the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license using a reasonable estimation of the amount of payment for such non-blanket usage to be deducted from royalties that would otherwise be due under the blanket license, determined in accordance with GAAP. Royalty payments based on such estimates shall be adjusted within 5 calendar days after the mechanical licensing collective confirms such amount to be deducted and notifies the blanket licensee under paragraph (g)(2) of this section. Any overpayment of royalties shall be handled in accordance with paragraph (k)(5) of this section. Where the blanket licensee will receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, the blanket licensee shall not provide an estimate of or deduct such amount in the information delivered to the mechanical licensing collective under paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section.

(3) Good faith. All information and calculations provided pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section shall be made in good faith and on the basis of the best knowledge, information, and belief of the blanket licensee at the time the report of usage is delivered to the mechanical licensing collective, and subject to any additional accounting and certification requirements under 17 U.S.C. 115 and this section.

(e) Sound recording and musical work information. (1) The following information must be provided for each sound recording embodying a musical work required to be reported under paragraph (c)(4)(ii) of this section:

(i) Identifying information for the sound recording, including but not limited to:

(A) Sound recording name(s), including all known alternative and parenthetical titles for the sound recording;

(B) Featured artist(s);

(C) Unique identifier(s) assigned by the blanket licensee, including unique identifier(s) (such as, if applicable, Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)) that can be used to locate and listen to the sound recording, accompanied by clear instructions describing how to do so (such audio access may be limited to a preview or sample of the sound recording lasting at least 30 seconds), subject to paragraph (e)(3) of this section;

(D) Actual playing time measured from the sound recording audio file; and

(E) To the extent acquired by the blanket licensee in connection with its use of sound recordings of musical works to engage in covered activities, including pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(B):

(1) Sound recording copyright owner(s);

(2) Producer(s);

(3) ISRC(s);

(4) Any other unique identifier(s) for or associated with the sound recording, including any unique identifier(s) for any associated album, including but not limited to:

(i) Catalog number(s);

(ii) UPC(s); and

(iii) Unique identifier(s) assigned by any distributor;

(5) Version(s);

(6) Release date(s);

(7) Album title(s);

(8) Label name(s);

(9) Distributor(s); and

(10) Other information commonly used in the industry to identify sound recordings and match them to the musical works the sound recordings embody.

(ii) Identifying information for the musical work embodied in the reported sound recording, to the extent acquired by the blanket licensee in the metadata provided by sound recording copyright owners or other licensors of sound recordings in connection with the use of sound recordings of musical works to engage in covered activities, including pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(B):

(A) Information concerning authorship and ownership of the applicable rights in the musical work embodied in the sound recording, including but not limited to:

(1) Songwriter(s);

(2) Publisher(s) with applicable U.S. rights;

(3) Musical work copyright owner(s);

(4) ISNI(s) and IPI(s) for each such songwriter, publisher, and musical work copyright owner; and

(5) Respective ownership shares of each such musical work copyright owner;

(B) ISWC(s) for the musical work embodied in the sound recording; and

(C) Musical work name(s) for the musical work embodied in the sound recording, including any alternative or parenthetical titles for the musical work.

(iii) Whether the blanket licensee, or any corporate parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the blanket licensee, is a copyright owner of the musical work embodied in the sound recording.

(2) Where any of the information called for by paragraph (e)(1) of this section, except for playing time, is acquired by the blanket licensee from sound recording copyright owners or other licensors of sound recordings (or their representatives), and the blanket licensee revises, re-titles, or otherwise modifies such information (which, for avoidance of doubt, does not include the act of filling in or supplementing empty or blank data fields, to the extent such information is known to the licensee), the blanket licensee shall report as follows:

(i) It shall be sufficient for the blanket licensee to report either the licensor-provided version or the modified version of such information to satisfy its obligations under paragraph (e)(1) of this section, except for the reporting of any information belonging to a category of information that was not periodically modified by that blanket licensee prior to the license availability date, any unique identifier (including but not limited to ISRC and ISWC), or any release date. On and after September 17, 2021, it additionally shall not be sufficient for the blanket licensee to report a modified version of any sound recording name, featured artist, version, or album title.

(ii) Where the blanket licensee must otherwise report the licensor-provided version of such information under paragraph (e)(2)(i) of this section, but to the best of its knowledge, information, and belief no longer has possession, custody, or control of the licensor-provided version, reporting the modified version of such information will satisfy its obligations under paragraph (e)(1) of this section if the blanket licensee certifies to the mechanical licensing collective that to the best of the blanket licensee’s knowledge, information, and belief: The information at issue belongs to a category of information called for by paragraph (e)(1) of this section (each of which must be identified) that was periodically modified by the particular blanket licensee prior to October 19, 2020; and that despite engaging in good-faith, commercially reasonable efforts, the blanket licensee has not located the licensor-provided version in its records. A certification need not identify specific sound recordings or musical works, and a single certification may encompass all licensor-provided information satisfying the conditions of the preceding sentence. The blanket licensee should deliver this certification prior to or contemporaneously with the first-delivered report of usage containing information to which this paragraph (e)(2)(ii) is applicable and need not provide the same certification to the mechanical licensing collective more than once.

(3) With respect to the obligation under paragraph (e)(1) of this section for blanket licensees to report unique identifiers that can be used to locate and listen to sound recordings accompanied by clear instructions describing how to do so:

(i) On and after the license availability date, blanket licensees providing such unique identifiers may not impose conditions that materially diminish the degree of access to sound recordings in connection with their potential use by the mechanical licensing collective or its registered users in connection with their use of the collective’s claiming portal (e.g., if a paid subscription is not required to listen to a sound recording as of the license availability date, the blanket licensee should not later impose a subscription fee for users to access the recording through the portal). Nothing in this paragraph (e)(3)(i) shall be construed as restricting a blanket licensee from otherwise imposing conditions or diminishing access to sound recordings: With respect to other users or methods of access to its service(s), including the general public; if required by a relevant agreement with a sound recording copyright owner or other licensor of sound recordings; or where such sound recordings are no longer made available through its service(s).

(ii) Blanket licensees who do not assign such unique identifiers as of September 17, 2020, may make use of a transition period ending September 17, 2021, during which the requirement to report such unique identifiers accompanied by instructions shall be waived upon notification, including a description of any implementation obstacles, to the mechanical licensing collective.

(iii)(A) By no later than December 16, 2020, and on a quarterly basis for the succeeding year, or as otherwise directed by the Copyright Office, the mechanical licensing collective and digital licensee coordinator shall report to the Copyright Office regarding the ability of users to listen to sound recordings for identification purposes through the collective’s claiming portal. In addition to any other information requested, each report shall:

(1) Identify any implementation obstacles preventing the audio of any reported sound recording from being accessed directly or indirectly through the portal without cost to portal users (including any obstacles described by any blanket licensee pursuant to paragraph (e)(3)(ii) of this section, along with such licensee’s identity), and any other obstacles to improving the experience of portal users seeking to identify musical works and their owners;

(2) Identify an implementation strategy for addressing any identified obstacles, and, as applicable, what progress has been made in addressing such obstacles; and

(3) Identify any agreements between the mechanical licensing collective and blanket licensee(s) to provide for access to the relevant sound recordings for portal users seeking to identify musical works and their owners through an alternate method rather than by reporting unique identifiers through reports of usage (e.g., separately licensed solutions). If such an alternate method is implemented pursuant to any such agreement, the requirement to report unique identifiers that can be used to locate and listen to sound recordings accompanied by clear instructions describing how to do so is lifted for the relevant blanket licensee(s) for the duration of the agreement.

(B) The mechanical licensing collective and digital licensee coordinator shall cooperate in good faith to produce the reports required under paragraph (e)(3)(iii)(A) of this section, and shall submit joint reports with respect to areas on which they can reach substantial agreement, but which may contain separate report sections on areas where they are unable to reach substantial agreement. Such cooperation may include work through the operations advisory committee.

(4) Any obligation under paragraph (e)(1) of this section concerning information about sound recording copyright owners may be satisfied by reporting the information for applicable sound recordings provided to the blanket licensee by sound recording copyright owners or other licensors of sound recordings (or their representatives) contained in each of the following DDEX fields: LabelName and PLine. Where a blanket licensee acquires this information in addition to other information identifying a relevant sound recording copyright owner, all such information should be reported.

(5) A blanket licensee may make use of a transition period ending September 17, 2021, during which the blanket licensee need not report information that would otherwise be required by paragraph (e)(1)(i)(E) or (e)(1)(ii) of this section, unless:

(i) It belongs to a category of information expressly required by the enumerated list of information contained in 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(A)(ii)(I)(aa) or (bb);

(ii) It belongs to a category of information that is reported by the particular blanket licensee pursuant to any voluntary license or individual download license; or

(iii) It belongs to a category of information that was periodically reported by the particular blanket licensee prior to the license availability date.

(f) Content of annual reports of usage. An annual report of usage, covering the full fiscal year of the blanket licensee, shall be clearly and prominently identified as an “Annual Report of Usage Under Compulsory Blanket License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords,” and shall include a clear statement of the following information:

(1) The fiscal year covered by the annual report of usage.

(4) The following information, cumulative for the applicable annual reporting period, for each month for each applicable activity or offering including as may be defined in part 385 of this title, and broken down by month and by each such applicable activity or offering:

(i) The total royalty payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license, computed in accordance with the requirements of this section and part 385 of this title.

(ii) The total sum paid to the mechanical licensing collective under the blanket license, including the amount of any adjustment delivered contemporaneously with the annual report of usage.

(iii) The total adjustment(s) made by any report of adjustment adjusting any monthly report of usage covered by the applicable annual reporting period, including any adjustment made in connection with the annual report of usage as described in paragraph (k)(1) of this section.

(iv) The total number of payable units, including, as applicable, permanent downloads, plays, and constructive plays, for each sound recording used, whether pursuant to a blanket license, voluntary license, or individual download license.

(v) To the extent applicable to the calculation of royalties owed by the blanket licensee under the blanket license:

(A) Total service provider revenue, as may be defined in part 385 of this title.

(B) Total costs of content, as may be defined in part 385 of this title.

(D) Total subscribers, as may be defined in part 385 of this title.

(5) The amount of late fees, if applicable, included in any payment associated with the annual report of usage.

(g) Processing and timing. (1) Each monthly report of usage and related royalty payment must be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective no later than 45 calendar days after the end of the applicable monthly reporting period. Where a monthly report of usage satisfying the requirements of 17 U.S.C. 115 and this section is delivered to the mechanical licensing collective no later than 15 calendar days after the end of the applicable monthly reporting period, the mechanical licensing collective shall deliver an invoice to the blanket licensee no later than 40 calendar days after the end of the applicable monthly reporting period that sets forth the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license for the applicable monthly reporting period, which shall be broken down by each applicable activity or offering including as may be defined in part 385 of this title.

(2) After receiving a monthly report of usage, the mechanical licensing collective shall engage in the following actions, among any other actions required of it:

(i) The mechanical licensing collective shall engage in efforts to identify the musical works embodied in sound recordings reflected in such report, and the copyright owners of such musical works (and shares thereof).

(ii) The mechanical licensing collective shall engage in efforts to confirm uses of musical works subject to voluntary licenses and individual download licenses, and, if applicable, the corresponding amounts to be deducted from royalties that would otherwise be due under the blanket license.

(iii) Where the blanket licensee will not receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, the mechanical licensing collective shall engage in efforts to confirm proper payment of the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license for the applicable monthly reporting period, computed in accordance with the requirements of this section and part 385 of this title, after accounting for, if applicable, amounts to be deducted under paragraph (g)(2)(ii) of this section.

(iv) Where the blanket licensee will receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, the mechanical licensing collective shall engage in efforts to compute, in accordance with the requirements of this section and part 385 of this title, the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license for the applicable monthly reporting period, after accounting for, if applicable, amounts to be deducted under paragraph (g)(2)(ii) of this section.

(v) The mechanical licensing collective shall deliver a response file to the blanket licensee if requested by the blanket licensee, and the blanket licensee may request an invoice even if not entitled to an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section. Such requests may be made in connection with a particular monthly report of usage or via a one-time request that applies to future reporting periods. Where the blanket licensee will receive an invoice prior to delivering its royalty payment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, the mechanical licensing collective shall deliver the response file to the blanket licensee contemporaneously with such invoice. The mechanical licensing collective shall otherwise deliver the response file and/or invoice, as applicable, to the blanket licensee in a reasonably timely manner, but no later than 70 calendar days after the end of the applicable monthly reporting period if the blanket licensee has delivered its monthly report of usage and related royalty payment no later than 45 calendar days after the end of the applicable monthly reporting period. In all cases, the response file shall contain such information as is common in the industry to be reported in response files, backup files, and any other similar such files provided to digital music providers by applicable third-party administrators, and shall include the results of the process described in paragraphs (g)(2)(i) through (iv) of this section on a track-by-track and ownership-share basis, with updates to reflect any new results from the previous month. Response files shall include the following minimum information: song title, mechanical licensing collective-assigned song code, composer(s), publisher name, including top publisher, original publisher, and admin publisher, publisher split, mechanical licensing collective-assigned publisher number, publisher/license status (whether each work share is subject to the blanket license or a voluntary license or individual download license), royalties per work share, effective per-play rate, time-adjusted plays, and the unique identifier for each applicable voluntary license or individual download license provided to the mechanical licensing collective pursuant to § 210.24(b)(8)(vi).

(3) Each annual report of usage and, if any, related royalty payment must be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective no later than the 20th day of the sixth month following the end of the fiscal year covered by the annual report of usage.

(4) The required timing for any report of adjustment and, if any, related royalty payment shall be as follows:

(i) Where a report of adjustment adjusting a monthly report of usage is not combined with an annual report of usage, as described in paragraph (k)(1) of this section, a report of adjustment adjusting a monthly report of usage must be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective after delivery of the monthly report of usage being adjusted and before delivery of the annual report of usage for the annual period covering such monthly report of usage.

(ii) A report of adjustment adjusting an annual report of usage must be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective no later than 6 months after the occurrence of any of the scenarios specified by paragraph (k)(6) of this section, where such an event necessitates an adjustment. Where more than one scenario applies to the same annual report of usage at different points in time, a separate 6-month period runs for each such triggering event.

(h) Format and delivery. (1) Reports of usage shall be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective in a machine-readable format that is compatible with the information technology systems of the mechanical licensing collective as reasonably determined by the mechanical licensing collective and set forth on its website, taking into consideration relevant industry standards and the potential for different degrees of sophistication among blanket licensees. The mechanical licensing collective must offer at least two options, where one is dedicated to smaller blanket licensees that may not be reasonably capable of complying with the requirements of a reporting or data standard or format that the mechanical licensing collective may see fit to adopt for larger blanket licensees with more sophisticated operations. Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the mechanical licensing collective from adopting more than two reporting or data standards or formats.

(2) Royalty payments shall be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective in such manner and form as the mechanical licensing collective may reasonably determine and set forth on its website. A report of usage and its related royalty payment may be delivered together or separately, but if delivered separately, the payment must include information reasonably sufficient to allow the mechanical licensing collective to match the report of usage to the payment.

(3) The mechanical licensing collective may modify the requirements it adopts under paragraphs (h)(1) and (2) of this section at any time, after good-faith consultation with the operations advisory committee and taking into consideration any technological and cost burdens that may reasonably be expected to result and the proportionality of those burdens to any reasonably expected benefits, provided that advance notice of any such change is reflected on its website and delivered to blanket licensees using the contact information provided in each respective licensee’s notice of license. A blanket licensee shall not be required to comply with any such change before the first reporting period ending at least 30 calendar days after delivery of such notice, unless such change is a significant change, in which case, compliance shall not be required before the first reporting period ending at least one year after delivery of such notice. For purposes of this paragraph (h)(3), a significant change occurs where the mechanical licensing collective changes any policy requiring information to be provided under particular reporting or data standards or formats. Where delivery of the notice required by this paragraph (h)(3) is attempted but unsuccessful because the contact information in the blanket licensee’s notice of license is not current, the grace periods established by this paragraph (h)(3) shall begin to run from the date of attempted delivery. Nothing in this paragraph (h)(3) empowers the mechanical licensing collective to impose reporting requirements that are otherwise inconsistent with the regulations prescribed by this section.

(4) The mechanical licensing collective shall, by no later than the license availability date, establish an appropriate process by which any blanket licensee may voluntarily make advance deposits of funds with the mechanical licensing collective against which future royalty payments may be charged.

(5) A separate monthly report of usage shall be delivered for each month during which there is any activity relevant to the payment of mechanical royalties for covered activities. An annual report of usage shall be delivered for each fiscal year during which at least one monthly report of usage was required to have been delivered. An annual report of usage does not replace any monthly report of usage.

(6)(i) Where a blanket licensee attempts to timely deliver a report of usage and/or related royalty payment to the mechanical licensing collective but cannot because of the fault of the collective or an error, outage, disruption, or other issue with any of the collective’s applicable information technology systems (whether or not such issue is within the collective’s direct control) the occurrence of which the blanket licensee knew or should have known at the time, if the blanket licensee attempts to contact the collective about the problem within 2 business days, provides a sworn statement detailing the encountered problem to the Copyright Office within 5 business days (emailed to the Office of the General Counsel at USCOGeneralCounsel@copyright.gov), and delivers the report of usage and/or related royalty payment to the collective within 5 business days after receiving written notice from the collective that the problem is resolved, then the mechanical licensing collective shall act as follows:

(A) The mechanical licensing collective shall fully credit the blanket licensee for any applicable late fee paid by the blanket licensee as a result of the untimely delivery of the report of usage and/or related royalty payment.

(B) The mechanical licensing collective shall not use the untimely delivery of the report of usage and/or related royalty payment as a basis to terminate the blanket licensee’s blanket license.

(ii) In the event of a good-faith dispute regarding whether a blanket licensee knew or should have known of the occurrence of an error, outage, disruption, or other issue with any of the mechanical licensing collective’s applicable information technology systems, a blanket licensee that complies with the requirements of paragraph (h)(6)(i) of this section within a reasonable period of time shall receive the protections of paragraphs (h)(6)(i)(A) and (B) of this section.

(7) The mechanical licensing collective shall provide a blanket licensee with written confirmation of receipt no later than 2 business days after receiving a report of usage and no later than 2 business days after receiving any payment.

(i) Certification of monthly reports of usage. Each monthly report of usage shall be accompanied by:

(1) The name of the person who is signing and certifying the monthly report of usage.

(2) A signature, which in the case of a blanket licensee that is a corporation or partnership, shall be the signature of a duly authorized officer of the corporation or of a partner.

(3) The date of signature and certification.

(4) If the blanket licensee is a corporation or partnership, the title or official position held in the partnership or corporation by the person who is signing and certifying the monthly report of usage.

(5) One of the following statements:

(i) Statement one:

I certify that (1) I am duly authorized to sign this monthly report of usage on behalf of the blanket licensee, (2) I have examined this monthly report of usage, and (3) all statements of fact contained herein are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, and are made in good faith.

(ii) Statement two:

I certify that (1) I am duly authorized to sign this monthly report of usage on behalf of the blanket licensee, (2) I have prepared or supervised the preparation of the data used by the blanket licensee and/or its agent to generate this monthly report of usage, (3) such data is true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, and was prepared in good faith, and (4) this monthly report of usage was prepared by the blanket licensee and/or its agent using processes and internal controls that were subject to an examination, during the past year, by a licensed certified public accountant in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the opinion of whom was that (A) the processes generated monthly reports of usage that accurately reflect, in all material respects, the blanket licensee’s usage of musical works, the statutory royalties applicable thereto (to the extent reported), and any other data that is necessary for the proper calculation of the statutory royalties in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115 and applicable regulations, and (B) the internal controls relevant to the processes used by or on behalf of the blanket licensee to generate monthly reports of usage were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the monthly reports of usage.

(6) A certification that the blanket licensee has, for the period covered by the monthly report of usage, engaged in good-faith, commercially reasonable efforts to obtain information about applicable sound recordings and musical works pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(B) and § 210.26.

(j) Certification of annual reports of usage. (1) Each annual report of usage shall be accompanied by:

(i) The name of the person who is signing the annual report of usage on behalf of the blanket licensee.

(ii) A signature, which in the case of a blanket licensee that is a corporation or partnership, shall be the signature of a duly authorized officer of the corporation or of a partner.

(iii) The date of signature.

(iv) If the blanket licensee is a corporation or partnership, the title or official position held in the partnership or corporation by the person signing the annual report of usage.

(v) The following statement: I am duly authorized to sign this annual report of usage on behalf of the blanket licensee.

(vi) A certification that the blanket licensee has, for the period covered by the annual report of usage, engaged in good-faith, commercially reasonable efforts to obtain information about applicable sound recordings and musical works pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(B) and § 210.26.

(2) Each annual report of usage shall also be certified by a licensed certified public accountant. Such certification shall comply with the following requirements:

(i) Except as provided in paragraph (j)(2)(ii) of this section, the accountant shall certify that it has conducted an examination of the annual report of usage prepared by the blanket licensee in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and has rendered an opinion based on such examination that the annual report of usage conforms with the standards in paragraph (j)(2)(iv) of this section.

(ii) If such accountant determines in its professional judgment that the volume of data attributable to a particular blanket licensee renders it impracticable to certify the annual report of usage as required by paragraph (j)(2)(i) of this section, the accountant may instead certify the following:

(1) That the processes used by or on behalf of the blanket licensee generated annual reports of usage that conform with the standards in paragraph (j)(2)(iv) of this section; and

(2) That the internal controls relevant to the processes used by or on behalf of the blanket licensee to generate annual reports of usage were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the annual reports of usage.

(B) That such examination included examining, either on a test basis or otherwise as the accountant considered necessary under the circumstances and in its professional judgment, evidence supporting the management assertions in paragraph (j)(2)(ii)(A) of this section, and performing such other procedures as the accountant considered necessary in the circumstances.

(C) That the accountant has rendered an opinion based on such examination that the processes used to generate the annual report of usage generated annual reports of usage that conform with the standards in paragraph (j)(2)(iv) of this section, and that the internal controls relevant to the processes used to generate annual reports of usage were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the annual reports of usage.

(iii) In the event a third party or third parties acting on behalf of the blanket licensee provided services related to the annual report of usage, the accountant making a certification under either paragraph (j)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section may, as the accountant considers necessary under the circumstances and in its professional judgment, rely on a report and opinion rendered by a licensed certified public accountant in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants that the processes and/or internal controls of the third party or third parties relevant to the generation of the blanket licensee’s annual reports of usage were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the annual reports of usage, if such reliance is disclosed in the certification.

(iv) An annual report of usage conforms with the standards of this paragraph (j) if it presents fairly, in all material respects, the blanket licensee’s usage of musical works in covered activities during the period covered by the annual report of usage, the statutory royalties applicable thereto (to the extent reported), and such other data as are relevant to the calculation of statutory royalties in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115 and applicable regulations.

(3) If the annual report of usage is delivered electronically, the blanket licensee may deliver an electronic facsimile of the original certification of the annual report of usage signed by the licensed certified public accountant. The blanket licensee shall retain the original certification of the annual report of usage signed by the licensed certified public accountant for the period identified in paragraph (m) of this section, which shall be made available to the mechanical licensing collective upon demand.

(k) Adjustments. (1) A blanket licensee may adjust one or more previously delivered monthly reports of usage or annual reports of usage, including related royalty payments, by delivering to the mechanical licensing collective a report of adjustment. A report of adjustment adjusting one or more monthly reports of usage may, but need not, be combined with the annual report of usage for the annual period covering such monthly reports of usage and related payments. In such cases, such an annual report of usage shall also be considered a report of adjustment, and must satisfy the requirements of both paragraphs (f) and (k) of this section.

(2) A report of adjustment, except when combined with an annual report of usage, shall be clearly and prominently identified as a “Report of Adjustment Under Compulsory Blanket License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords.” A report of adjustment that is combined with an annual report of usage shall be identified in the same manner as any other annual report of usage.

(3) A report of adjustment shall include a clear statement of the following information:

(i) The previously delivered monthly reports of usage or annual reports of usage, including related royalty payments, to which the adjustment applies.

(ii) The specific change(s) to the applicable previously delivered monthly reports of usage or annual reports of usage, including a detailed description of any changes to any of the inputs upon which computation of the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license depends. Such description shall include all information necessary for the mechanical licensing collective to compute, in accordance with the requirements of this section and part 385 of this title, the adjusted royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license, and all information necessary to enable the mechanical licensing collective to provide a detailed and step-by-step accounting of the calculation of the adjustment under applicable provisions of this section and part 385 of this title, sufficient to allow each applicable copyright owner to assess the manner in which the mechanical licensing collective, using the blanket licensee’s information, determined the adjustment and the accuracy of the adjustment. As appropriate, an adjustment may be calculated using estimates permitted under paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section.

(iii) Where applicable, the particular sound recordings and uses to which the adjustment applies.

(iv) A description of the reason(s) for the adjustment.

(4) In the case of an underpayment of royalties, the blanket licensee shall pay the difference to the mechanical licensing collective contemporaneously with delivery of the report of adjustment or promptly after being notified by the mechanical licensing collective of the amount due. A report of adjustment and its related royalty payment may be delivered together or separately, but if delivered separately, the payment must include information reasonably sufficient to allow the mechanical licensing collective to match the report of adjustment to the payment.

(5) In the case of an overpayment of royalties, the mechanical licensing collective shall appropriately credit or offset the excess payment amount and apply it to the blanket licensee’s account, or upon request, issue a refund within a reasonable period of time.

(6) A report of adjustment adjusting an annual report of usage may only be made:

(i) In exceptional circumstances;

(ii) When making an adjustment to a previously estimated input under paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section;

(iii) Following an audit under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(D);

(iv) Following any other audit of a blanket licensee that concludes after the annual report of usage is delivered and that has the result of affecting the computation of the royalties payable by the blanket licensee under the blanket license (e.g., as applicable, an audit by a sound recording copyright owner concerning the amount of applicable consideration paid for sound recording copyright rights); or

(v) In response to a change in applicable rates or terms under part 385 of this title.

(7) A report of adjustment adjusting a monthly report of usage must be certified in the same manner as a monthly report of usage under paragraph (i) of this section. A report of adjustment adjusting an annual report of usage must be certified in the same manner as an annual report of usage under paragraph (j) of this section, except that the examination by a certified public accountant under paragraph (j)(2) of this section may be limited to the adjusted material and related recalculation of royalties payable. Where a report of adjustment is combined with an annual report of usage, its content shall be subject to the certification covering the annual report of usage with which it is combined.

(l) Clear statements. The information required by this section requires intelligible, legible, and unambiguous statements in the reports of usage, without incorporation of facts or information contained in other documents or records.

(m) Documentation and records of use. (1) Each blanket licensee shall, for a period of at least seven years from the date of delivery of a report of usage to the mechanical licensing collective, keep and retain in its possession all records and documents necessary and appropriate to support fully the information set forth in such report of usage (except that such records and documents that relate to an estimated input permitted under paragraph (d)(2) of this section must be kept and retained for a period of at least seven years from the date of delivery of the report of usage containing the final adjustment of such input), including but not limited to the following:

(i) Records and documents accounting for digital phonorecord deliveries that do not constitute plays, constructive plays, or other payable units.

(ii) Records and documents pertaining to any promotional or free trial uses that are required to be maintained under applicable provisions of part 385 of this title.

(iii) Records and documents identifying or describing each of the blanket licensee’s applicable activities or offerings including as may be defined in part 385 of this title, including information sufficient to reasonably demonstrate whether the activity or offering qualifies as any particular activity or offering for which specific rates and terms have been established in part 385 of this title, and which specific rates and terms apply to such activity or offering.

(iv) Records and documents with information sufficient to reasonably demonstrate, if applicable, whether service revenue and total cost of content, as those terms may be defined in part 385 of this title, are properly calculated in accordance with part 385 of this title.

(v) Records and documents with information sufficient to reasonably demonstrate whether and how any royalty floor established in part 385 of this title does or does not apply.

(vi) Records and documents containing such other information as is necessary to reasonably support and confirm all usage and calculations (including of any inputs provided to the mechanical licensing collective to enable further calculations) contained in the report of usage, including but not limited to, as applicable, relevant information concerning subscriptions, devices and platforms, discount plans (including how eligibility was assessed), bundled offerings (including their constituent components and pricing information), and numbers of end users and subscribers (including unadjusted numbers and numbers adjusted as may be permitted by part 385 of this title).

(vii) Any other records or documents that may be appropriately examined pursuant to an audit under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(D).

(2) The mechanical licensing collective or its agent shall be entitled to reasonable access to records and documents described in paragraph (m)(1) of this section, which shall be provided promptly and arranged for no later than 30 calendar days after the mechanical licensing collective’s reasonable request, subject to any confidentiality to which they may be entitled. The mechanical licensing collective shall be entitled to make one request per quarter covering a period of up to one quarter in the aggregate. With respect to the total cost of content, as that term may be defined in part 385 of this title, the access permitted by this paragraph (m)(2) shall be limited to accessing the aggregated figure kept by the blanket licensee on its books for the relevant reporting period(s). Neither the mechanical licensing collective nor its agent shall be entitled to access any records or documents retained solely pursuant to paragraph (m)(1)(vii) of this section outside of an applicable audit. Each report of usage must include clear instructions on how to request access to records and documents under this paragraph (m).

(3) Each blanket licensee shall, in accordance with paragraph (m)(4) of this section, keep and retain in its possession and report the following information:

(i) With respect to each sound recording, that embodies a musical work, first licensed or obtained for use in covered activities by the blanket licensee on or after the effective date of its blanket license:

(A) Each of the following dates to the extent reasonably available:

(1) The date on which the sound recording was first reproduced by the blanket licensee on its server (“server fixation date”).

(2) The date on which the sound recording was first released on the blanket licensee’s service (“street date”).

(B) If neither of the dates specified in paragraph (m)(3)(i)(A) of this section is reasonably available, the date that, in the assessment of the blanket licensee, provides a reasonable estimate of the date the sound recording was first distributed on its service within the United States (“estimated first distribution date”).

(ii) A record of materially all sound recordings embodying musical works in its database or similar electronic system as of a time reasonably approximate to the effective date of its blanket license. For each recording, the record shall include the sound recording name(s), featured artist(s), unique identifier(s) assigned by the blanket licensee, actual playing time, and, to the extent acquired by the blanket licensee in connection with its use of sound recordings of musical works to engage in covered activities, ISRC(s). The blanket licensee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to make this record as accurate and complete as reasonably possible in representing the blanket licensee’s repertoire as of immediately prior to the effective date of its blanket license.

(4)(i) Each blanket licensee must deliver the information described in paragraph (m)(3)(i) of this section to the mechanical licensing collective at least annually and keep and retain this information until delivered. Such reporting must include the following:

(A) For each sound recording, the same categories of information described in paragraph (m)(3)(ii) of this section.

(B) For each date, an identification of which type of date it is (i.e., server fixation date, street date, or estimated first distribution date).

(ii) A blanket licensee must deliver the information described in paragraph (m)(3)(ii) of this section to the mechanical licensing collective as soon as commercially reasonable, and no later than contemporaneously with its first reporting under paragraph (m)(4)(i) of this section.

(iii) Prior to being delivered to the mechanical licensing collective, the collective or its agent shall be entitled to reasonable access to the information kept and retained pursuant to paragraphs (m)(4)(i) and (ii) of this section if needed in connection with applicable directions, instructions, or orders concerning the distribution of royalties.

(5) Nothing in paragraph (m)(3) or (4) of this section, nor the collection, maintenance, or delivery of information under paragraphs (m)(3) and (4) of this section, nor the information itself, shall be interpreted or construed:

(i) To alter, limit, or diminish in any way the ability of an author or any other person entitled to exercise rights of termination under section 203 or 304 of title 17 of the United States Code from fully exercising or benefiting from such rights;

(ii) As determinative of the date of the license grant with respect to works as it pertains to sections 203 and 304 of title 17 of the United States Code; or

(iii) To affect in any way the scope or effectiveness of the exercise of termination rights, including as pertaining to derivative works, under section 203 or 304 of title 17 of the United States Code.

(n) Voluntary agreements with mechanical licensing collective to alter process. (1) Subject to the provisions of 17 U.S.C. 115, a blanket licensee and the mechanical licensing collective may agree in writing to vary or supplement the procedures described in this section, including but not limited to pursuant to an agreement to administer a voluntary license, provided that any such change does not materially prejudice copyright owners owed royalties due under a blanket license. The procedures surrounding the certification requirements of paragraphs (i) and (j) of this section may not be altered by agreement. This paragraph (n)(1) does not empower the mechanical licensing collective to agree to alter any substantive requirements described in this section, including but not limited to the required royalty payment and accounting information and sound recording and musical work information.

(2) The mechanical licensing collective shall maintain a current, free, and publicly accessible online list of all agreements made pursuant to paragraph (n)(1) of this section that includes the name of the blanket licensee (and, if different, the trade or consumer-facing brand name(s) of the services(s), including any specific offering(s), through which the blanket licensee engages in covered activities) and the start and end dates of the agreement. Any such agreement shall be considered a record that a copyright owner may access in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(3)(M)(ii). Where an agreement made pursuant to paragraph (n)(1) of this section is made pursuant to an agreement to administer a voluntary license or any other agreement, only those portions that vary or supplement the procedures described in this section and that pertain to the administration of a requesting copyright owner’s musical works must be made available to that copyright owner.

§ 210.28 Reports of usage for significant nonblanket licensees.

(a) General. This section prescribes rules for the preparation and delivery of reports of usage for the making and distribution of phonorecords of nondramatic musical works to the mechanical licensing collective by a significant nonblanket licensee pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(A)(ii). A significant nonblanket licensee shall report to the mechanical licensing collective on a monthly basis in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(A)(ii) and this section. A significant nonblanket licensee may make adjustments to its reports of usage in accordance with this section.

(b) Definitions. For purposes of this section, in addition to those terms defined in § 210.22:

(1) The term report of usage, unless otherwise specified, refers to all reports of usage required to be delivered by a significant nonblanket licensee to the mechanical licensing collective, including reports of adjustment. As used in this section, it does not refer to reports required to be delivered by blanket licensees under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(A) and § 210.27.

(2) A monthly report of usage is a report of usage identified in 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(A)(ii), and required to be delivered by a significant nonblanket licensee to the mechanical licensing collective.

(3) A report of adjustment is a report delivered by a significant nonblanket licensee to the mechanical licensing collective adjusting one or more previously delivered monthly reports of usage.

(c) Content of monthly reports of usage. A monthly report of usage shall be clearly and prominently identified as a “Significant Nonblanket Licensee Monthly Report of Usage for Making and Distributing Phonorecords,” and shall include a clear statement of the following information:

(1) The period (month and year) covered by the monthly report of usage.

(2) The full legal name of the significant nonblanket licensee and, if different, the trade or consumer-facing brand name(s) of the service(s), including any specific offering(s), through which the significant nonblanket licensee engages in covered activities. If the significant nonblanket licensee has a unique DDEX identifier number, it must also be provided.

(3) The full address, including a specific number and street name or rural route, of the place of business of the significant nonblanket licensee. A post office box or similar designation will not be sufficient except where it is the only address that can be used in that geographic location.

(4) For each sound recording embodying a musical work that is used by the significant nonblanket licensee in covered activities during the applicable monthly reporting period, a detailed statement, from which the mechanical licensing collective may separate reported information for each applicable activity or offering including as may be defined in part 385 of this title, of all of:

(i) The royalty payment and accounting information required by paragraph (d) of this section; and

(ii) The sound recording and musical work information required by paragraph (e) of this section.

(5) For each voluntary license and individual download license in effect during the applicable monthly reporting period, the information required under § 210.24(b)(8). If this information has been separately provided to the mechanical licensing collective, it need not be contained in the monthly report of usage, provided the report states that the information has been provided separately and includes the date on which such information was last provided to the mechanical licensing collective.

(d) Royalty payment and accounting information. The royalty payment and accounting information called for by paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section shall consist of the following:

(1) The mechanical royalties payable by the significant nonblanket licensee for the applicable monthly reporting period for engaging in covered activities pursuant to each applicable voluntary license and individual download license.

(2) The number of payable units, including, as applicable, permanent downloads, plays, and constructive plays, for each reported sound recording.

(i) Identifying information for the sound recording, including but not limited to:

(A) Sound recording name(s), including all known alternative and parenthetical titles for the sound recording;

(B) Featured artist(s);

(C) Unique identifier(s) assigned by the significant nonblanket licensee, if any, including any code(s) that can be used to locate and listen to the sound recording through the significant nonblanket licensee’s public-facing service;

(D) Actual playing time measured from the sound recording audio file; and

(E) To the extent acquired by the significant nonblanket licensee in connection with its use of sound recordings of musical works to engage in covered activities:

(1) Sound recording copyright owner(s);

(2) Producer(s);

(3) ISRC(s);

(4) Any other unique identifier(s) for or associated with the sound recording, including any unique identifier(s) for any associated album, including but not limited to:

(i) Catalog number(s);

(ii) UPC(s); and

(iii) Unique identifier(s) assigned by any distributor;

(5) Version(s);

(6) Release date(s);

(7) Album title(s);

(8) Label name(s);

(9) Distributor(s); and

(10) Other information commonly used in the industry to identify sound recordings and match them to the musical works the sound recordings embody.

(ii) Identifying information for the musical work embodied in the reported sound recording, to the extent acquired by the significant nonblanket licensee in the metadata provided by sound recording copyright owners or other licensors of sound recordings in connection with the use of sound recordings of musical works to engage in covered activities:

(A) Information concerning authorship and ownership of the applicable rights in the musical work embodied in the sound recording, including but not limited to:

(1) Songwriter(s);

(2) Publisher(s) with applicable U.S. rights;

(3) Musical work copyright owner(s);

(4) ISNI(s) and IPI(s) for each such songwriter, publisher, and musical work copyright owner; and

(5) Respective ownership shares of each such musical work copyright owner;

(B) ISWC(s) for the musical work embodied in the sound recording; and

(C) Musical work name(s) for the musical work embodied in the sound recording, including any alternative or parenthetical titles for the musical work.

(iii) Whether the significant nonblanket licensee, or any corporate parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the significant nonblanket licensee, is a copyright owner of the musical work embodied in the sound recording.

(2) Where any of the information called for by paragraph (e)(1) of this section, except for playing time, is acquired by the significant nonblanket licensee from sound recording copyright owners or other licensors of sound recordings (or their representatives), and the significant nonblanket licensee revises, re-titles, or otherwise modifies such information (which, for avoidance of doubt, does not include the act of filling in or supplementing empty or blank data fields, to the extent such information is known to the licensee), the significant nonblanket licensee shall report as follows:

(i) It shall be sufficient for the significant nonblanket licensee to report either the licensor-provided version or the modified version of such information to satisfy its obligations under paragraph (e)(1) of this section, except that it shall not be sufficient for the significant nonblanket licensee to report a modified version of any information belonging to a category of information that was not periodically modified by that significant nonblanket licensee prior to the license availability date, any unique identifier (including but not limited to ISRC and ISWC), or any release date.

(ii) Where the significant nonblanket licensee must otherwise report the licensor-provided version of such information under paragraph (e)(2)(i) of this section, but to the best of its knowledge, information, and belief no longer has possession, custody, or control of the licensor-provided version, reporting the modified version of such information will satisfy its obligations under paragraph (e)(1) of this section if the significant nonblanket licensee certifies to the mechanical licensing collective that to the best of the significant nonblanket licensee’s knowledge, information, and belief: The information at issue belongs to a category of information called for by paragraph (e)(1) of this section (each of which must be identified) that was periodically modified by the particular significant nonblanket licensee prior to October 19, 2020; and that despite engaging in good-faith, commercially reasonable efforts, the significant nonblanket licensee has not located the licensor-provided version in its records. A certification need not identify specific sound recordings or musical works, and a single certification may encompass all licensor-provided information satisfying the conditions of the preceding sentence. The significant nonblanket licensee should deliver this certification prior to or contemporaneously with the first-delivered report of usage containing information to which this paragraph (e)(2)(ii) is applicable and need not provide the same certification to the mechanical licensing collective more than once.

(3) Any obligation under paragraph (e)(1) of this section concerning information about sound recording copyright owners may be satisfied by reporting the information for applicable sound recordings provided to the significant nonblanket licensee by sound recording copyright owners or other licensors of sound recordings (or their representatives) contained in each of the following DDEX fields: LabelName and PLine. Where a significant nonblanket licensee acquires this information in addition to other information identifying a relevant sound recording copyright owner, all such information should be reported.

(4) A significant nonblanket licensee may make use of a transition period ending September 17, 2021, during which the significant nonblanket licensee need not report information that would otherwise be required by paragraph (e)(1)(i)(E) or (e)(1)(ii) of this section, unless:

(i) It belongs to a category of information expressly required by the enumerated list of information contained in 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(4)(A)(ii)(I)(aa) or (bb);

(ii) It belongs to a category of information that is reported by the particular significant nonblanket licensee pursuant to any voluntary license or individual download license; or

(iii) It belongs to a category of information that was periodically reported by the particular significant nonblanket licensee prior to the license availability date.

(f) Timing. (1) An initial report of usage must be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective contemporaneously with the significant nonblanket licensee’s notice of nonblanket activity. Each subsequent monthly report of usage must be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective no later than 45 calendar days after the end of the applicable monthly reporting period.

(2) A report of adjustment may only be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective once annually, between the end of the significant nonblanket licensee’s fiscal year and 6 months after the end of its fiscal year. Such report may only adjust one or more previously delivered monthly reports of usage from the applicable fiscal year.

(g) Format and delivery. (1) Reports of usage shall be delivered to the mechanical licensing collective in any format accepted by the mechanical licensing collective for blanket licensees under § 210.27(h). With respect to any modifications to formatting requirements that the mechanical licensing collective adopts, the mechanical licensing collective shall follow the consultation process as under § 210.27(h), and significant nonblanket licensees shall be entitled to the same advance notice and grace periods as apply to blanket licensees under § 210.27(h), except the mechanical licensing collective shall use the contact information provided in each respective significant nonblanket licensee’s notice of nonblanket activity. Nothing in this paragraph (g)(1) empowers the mechanical licensing collective to impose reporting requirements that are otherwise inconsistent with the regulations prescribed by this section.

(2) A separate monthly report of usage shall be delivered for each month during which there is any activity relevant to the payment of mechanical royalties for covered activities.

(3) Where a significant nonblanket licensee attempts to timely deliver a report of usage to the mechanical licensing collective but cannot because of the fault of the collective or an error, outage, disruption, or other issue with any of the collective’s applicable information technology systems (whether or not such issue is within the collective’s direct control) the occurrence of which the significant nonblanket licensee knew or should have known at the time, if the significant nonblanket licensee attempts to contact the collective about the problem within 2 business days, provides a sworn statement detailing the encountered problem to the Copyright Office within 5 business days (emailed to the Office of the General Counsel at USCOGeneralCounsel@copyright.gov), and delivers the report of usage to the collective within 5 business days after receiving written notice from the collective that the problem is resolved, then neither the mechanical licensing collective nor the digital licensee coordinator may use the untimely delivery of the report of usage as a basis to engage in legal enforcement efforts under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(C). In the event of a good-faith dispute regarding whether a significant nonblanket licensee knew or should have known of the occurrence of an error, outage, disruption, or other issue with any of the mechanical licensing collective’s applicable information technology systems, neither the mechanical licensing collective nor the digital licensee coordinator may use the untimely delivery of the report of usage as a basis to engage in legal enforcement efforts under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(C) as long as the significant nonblanket licensee complies with the requirements of this paragraph (g)(3) within a reasonable period of time.

(4) The mechanical licensing collective shall provide a significant nonblanket licensee with written confirmation of receipt no later than 2 business days after receiving a report of usage.

(h) Certification of monthly reports of usage. Each monthly report of usage shall be accompanied by:

(1) The name of the person who is signing and certifying the monthly report of usage.

(2) A signature, which in the case of a significant nonblanket licensee that is a corporation or partnership, shall be the signature of a duly authorized officer of the corporation or of a partner.

(3) The date of signature and certification.

(4) If the significant nonblanket licensee is a corporation or partnership, the title or official position held in the partnership or corporation by the person who is signing and certifying the monthly report of usage.

(5) One of the following statements:

(i) Statement one:

I certify that (1) I am duly authorized to sign this monthly report of usage on behalf of the significant nonblanket licensee, (2) I have examined this monthly report of usage, and (3) all statements of fact contained herein are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, and are made in good faith.

(ii) Statement two:

I certify that (1) I am duly authorized to sign this monthly report of usage on behalf of the significant nonblanket licensee, (2) I have prepared or supervised the preparation of the data used by the significant nonblanket licensee and/or its agent to generate this monthly report of usage, (3) such data is true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, and was prepared in good faith, and (4) this monthly report of usage was prepared by the significant nonblanket licensee and/or its agent using processes and internal controls that were subject to an examination, during the past year, by a licensed certified public accountant in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the opinion of whom was that (A) the processes generated monthly reports of usage that accurately reflect, in all material respects, the significant nonblanket licensee’s usage of musical works and the royalties applicable thereto, and (B) the internal controls relevant to the processes used by or on behalf of the significant nonblanket licensee to generate monthly reports of usage were suitably designed and operated effectively during the period covered by the monthly reports of usage.

(i) Adjustments. (1) A significant nonblanket licensee may adjust one or more previously delivered monthly reports of usage by delivering to the mechanical licensing collective a report of adjustment.

(2) A report of adjustment shall be clearly and prominently identified as a “Significant Nonblanket Licensee Report of Adjustment for Making and Distributing Phonorecords.”

(3) A report of adjustment shall include a clear statement of the following information:

(i) The previously delivered monthly report(s) of usage to which the adjustment applies.

(ii) The specific change(s) to the applicable previously delivered monthly report(s) of usage.

(iii) Where applicable, the particular sound recordings and uses to which the adjustment applies.

(iv) A description of the reason(s) for the adjustment.

(4) A report of adjustment must be certified in the same manner as a monthly report of usage under paragraph (h) of this section.

(j) Clear statements. The information required by this section requires intelligible, legible, and unambiguous statements in the reports of usage, without incorporation of facts or information contained in other documents or records.

(k) Harmless errors. Errors in the delivery or content of a report of usage that do not materially affect the adequacy of the information required to serve the purpose of 17 U.S.C. 115(d) shall be deemed harmless, and shall not render the report invalid or provide a basis for the mechanical licensing collective or digital licensee coordinator to engage in legal enforcement efforts under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(6)(C). This paragraph (k) shall apply only to errors made in good faith and without any intention to deceive, mislead, or conceal relevant information.

(l) Voluntary agreements with mechanical licensing collective to alter process. (1) Subject to the provisions of 17 U.S.C. 115, a significant nonblanket licensee and the mechanical licensing collective may agree in writing to vary or supplement the procedures described in this section, including but not limited to pursuant to an agreement to administer a voluntary license, provided that any such change does not materially prejudice copyright owners owed royalties due under a blanket license. The procedures surrounding the certification requirements of paragraph (h) of this section may not be altered by agreement. This paragraph (l)(1) does not empower the mechanical licensing collective to agree to alter any substantive requirements described in this section, including but not limited to the required royalty payment and accounting information and sound recording and musical work information.

(2) The mechanical licensing collective shall maintain a current, free, and publicly accessible online list of all agreements made pursuant to paragraph (l)(1) of this section that includes the name of the significant nonblanket licensee (and, if different, the trade or consumer-facing brand name(s) of the services(s), including any specific offering(s), through which the significant nonblanket licensee engages in covered activities) and the start and end dates of the agreement. Any such agreement shall be considered a record that a copyright owner may access in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(3)(M)(ii). Where an agreement made pursuant to paragraph (l)(1) of this section is made pursuant to an agreement to administer a voluntary license or any other agreement, only those portions that vary or supplement the procedures described in this section and that pertain to the administration of a requesting copyright owner’s musical works must be made available to that copyright owner.

§ 210.29 Reporting and distribution of royalties to copyright owners by the mechanical licensing collective.

(a) General. This section prescribes reporting obligations of the mechanical licensing collective to copyright owners for the distribution of royalties for musical works, licensed under the blanket license for digital uses prescribed in 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(1), that have been matched, either through the processing by the mechanical licensing collective upon receipt of a report of usage and royalty payment from a digital music provider, or during the holding period for unmatched works as defined in 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(3)(H)(i).

(b) Distribution of royalties and royalty statements. (1) Royalty distributions shall be made on a monthly basis and shall include, separately or together:

(i) All royalties payable to a copyright owner for a musical work matched in the ordinary course under 17 U.S.C. 115(d)(3)(G)(i)(II); and

(ii) All accrued royalties for any particular musical work that has been matched and a proportionate amount of accrued interest associated with that work.

(2) Royalty distributions based on adjustments to reports of usage by digital music providers in prior periods shall be made by the mechanical licensing collective at least once annually, upon submission of the annual reports of usage by digital music providers reporting total adjustments to the mechanical licensing collective pursuant to § 210.27(f) and (g)(3) and (4).

(3) Royalty distributions shall be accompanied by corresponding royalty statements containing the information set forth in paragraph (c) of this section for the royalties contained in the distribution.

(c) Content – (1) General content of royalty statements. Accompanying the distribution of royalties to a copyright owner, the mechanical licensing collective shall provide to the copyright owner a statement that includes, at a minimum, the following information:

(i) The period (month and year) covered by the statement, and the period (month and year) during which the reported activity occurred. For adjustments, the mechanical licensing collective shall report both the period (month and year) during which the original reported activity occurred and the date on which the digital music provider reported the adjustment.

(ii) The name and address of the mechanical licensing collective.

(iii) The name and mechanical licensing collective identification number of the copyright owner.

(iv) ISNI and IPI name and identification number for each songwriter, administrator, and musical work copyright owner, to the extent it has been provided to the mechanical licensing collective by a copyright owner.

(v) The name and mechanical licensing collective identification number of the copyright owner’s administrator (if applicable), to the extent one has been provided to the mechanical licensing collective by a copyright owner.

(vi) Payment information, such as check number, automated clearing house (ACH) identification, or wire transfer number.

(vii) The total royalty payable to the relevant copyright owner for the month covered by the royalty statement.

(2) Musical work information. For each matched musical work owned by the copyright owner for which accompanying royalties are being distributed to that copyright owner, the mechanical licensing collective shall report the following information:

(i) The musical work name, including primary and any alternative and parenthetical titles for the musical work known to the mechanical licensing collective.

(ii) ISWC for the musical work, to the extent it is known to the mechanical licensing collective.

(iii) The mechanical licensing collective’s standard identification number of the musical work.

(iv) The administrator’s unique identifier for the musical work, to the extent one has been provided to the mechanical licensing collective by a copyright owner or its administrator.

(v) The name(s) of the songwriter(s), to the extent they are known to the mechanical licensing collective.

(vi) The percentage share of musical work owned or controlled by the copyright owner.

(vii) For each sound recording embodying the musical work, the identifying information enumerated in paragraph (c)(3) of this section and the royalty information enumerated in paragraph (c)(4) of this section.

(3) Sound recording information. (i) For each sound recording embodying a musical work included in a royalty statement, the mechanical licensing collective shall report the following information:

(A) The sound recording name(s), including all known alternative and parenthetical titles for the sound recording.

(B) The featured artist(s).

(ii) The mechanical licensing collective shall report the following information to the extent it is known to the mechanical licensing collective:

(A) The record label name(s).

(B) ISRC(s).

(D) Playing time.

(E) Album title(s) or product name(s).

(F) Album or product featured artist(s), if different from sound recording featured artist(s).

(G) Distributor(s).

(H) UPC(s).

(4) Royalty information. The mechanical licensing collective shall separately report, for each service, offering, or activity reported by a blanket licensee, the following royalty information for each sound recording embodying a musical work included in a royalty statement:

(i) The name of the blanket licensee and, if different, the trade or consumer facing brand name(s) of the service(s), including any specific offering(s), through which the blanket licensee engages in covered activities.

(ii) The service tier or service description.

(iii) The use type (download, limited download, or stream).

(iv) The number of payable units, including, as applicable, permanent downloads, plays, and constructive plays.

(v) A detailed and step-by-step accounting of the calculation of royalties under applicable provisions of part 385 of this title, sufficient to allow the copyright owner to assess the manner in which the royalty owed was determined and the accuracy of the royalty calculations, which shall include details on each of the components used in the calculation of the payable royalty pool.

(vi) The royalty rate and amount.

(vii) The interest amount.

(viii) The distribution amount.

(d) Cumulative statements of account, and adjustments. (1) For royalties reported under paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, the mechanical licensing collective shall provide a cumulative statement of account that includes, in addition to the information in paragraph (c) of this section, a clear identification of the total period covered and the total royalty payable for the period.

(2) For adjustments reported under paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the mechanical licensing collective shall clearly indicate the original reporting period of the royalties being adjusted.

(e) Delivery of royalty statements. (1) Royalty statements may be delivered electronically, including by providing access to statements through an online password protected portal, accompanied by written notification of the availability of the statement in the portal.

(2) The mechanical licensing collective shall provide by request a separate, simplified report containing fewer data fields that may be more understandable for the copyright owner, and may provide royalty information to copyright owners by request in alternative formats.

(3) Upon written request of the copyright owner, the mechanical licensing collective may deliver a physical statement by mail where the statement reports a total royalty payable to the copyright owner for the period covered that is equal or greater than $100. Royalty statements delivered by mail are not required to contain all information identified in paragraph (c) of this section, but may instead provide information in a simplified or summary format.

(f) Clear statements. The information required by paragraph (c) of this section requires intelligible, legible, and unambiguous statements in the royalty statements without incorporation of facts or information contained in other documents or records.

(g) Certification. (1) Each royalty statement in which the total royalty payable to the relevant copyright owner for the month covered is equal to or greater than $100 shall be accompanied by:

(i) The name of the person who is signing and certifying the statement.

(ii) A signature of a duly authorized officer of the mechanical licensing collective.

(iii) The date of signature and certification.

(iv) The title or official position held by the person who is signing and certifying the statement.

(v) The following statement: This statement was prepared by the Mechanical Licensing Collective and/or its agent using processes and internal controls that were suitably designed to generate monthly statements that accurately allocate royalties using usage and royalty information provided by digital music providers and musical works information as reflected in the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s musical works database.

(2) Beginning in the first calendar year following the license availability date, the certification must also include a statement establishing that such processes and internal controls were subject to an examination, during the past year, by a licensed Certified Public Accountant in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the opinion of whom was that the processes and internal controls were so suitably designed.

(h) Reporting threshold. (1) Subject to paragraph (h)(2) of this section, a separate royalty statement shall be provided for each month during which there is any activity relevant to the distribution of royalties under the blanket license.

(2) Royalties under the blanket license shall not be considered payable, and no royalty statement shall be required, until the cumulative unpaid royalties collected for the copyright owner equal at least one cent. Moreover, in any case in which the cumulative unpaid royalties under the blanket license that would otherwise be distributed by the mechanical licensing collective to the copyright owner are less than $5 if the copyright owner receives payment by direct deposit, $100 if the copyright owner receives payment by physical check, or $250 if the copyright owner receives payment by wire transfer, the mechanical licensing collective may choose to defer the payment date for such royalties and provide no royalty statements until the earlier of the time for rendering the royalty statement for the month in which the unpaid royalties under the blanket license for the copyright owner exceed the threshold, at which time the mechanical licensing collective may provide one statement and payment covering the entire period for which royalty payments were deferred.

(3) Where the mechanical licensing collective elects to defer the royalty payment and statement to a copyright owner pursuant to paragraph (h)(2) of this section because the accrued royalties did not exceed the applicable threshold, and if a copyright owner submits a written request, the mechanical licensing collective shall make available to that copyright owner information detailing the accrued unpaid royalties processed as of the date of the request.

(4) If the mechanical licensing collective is required, under applicable tax law and regulations, to make backup withholding from its payments required hereunder, the mechanical licensing collective shall indicate the amount of such withholding on the royalty statement or on or with the distribution.

(i) Annual statement. The mechanical license collective shall provide an annual statement by electronic means to any copyright owner who has received at least one royalty statement under paragraph (h)(1) of this section in the calendar year preceding. The annual statement shall include a cumulative statement of the information reported in the monthly royalty statements in the year preceding, as well as a statement of any adjustments to royalty distributions reported in the year preceding.[85 FR 58165, Sept. 17, 2020]

Copyright Regulations

Chapter 210

§ 210.1 General.

§ 210.2 Definitions.

§ 210.3 Accounting requirements where sales revenue is “recognized.”

§ 210.11 Record companies using individual download licenses.

§ 210.4 Accounting requirements for offsetting phonorecord reserves with returned phonorecords.

§ 210.5 Situations in which a compulsory licensee is barred from maintaining reserves.

§ 210.6 Monthly statements of account.

§ 210.7 of this subpart does not replace any Monthly Statement of Account.

§ 210.8 Documentation.

§ 210.9 Harmless errors.

§ 210.10 Statements required for limitation on liability for digital music providers for the transition period prior to the license availability date.

§ 210.12-210.20 [Reserved]

§ 210.21 General.

§ 210.22 Definitions.

§ 210.23 Designation of the mechanical licensing collective and digital licensee coordinator.

§ 210.24 Notices of blanket license.

§ 210.25 Notices of nonblanket activity.

§ 210.26 Data collection and delivery efforts by digital music providers and musical work copyright owners.

§ 210.27 Reports of usage and payment for blanket licensees.

§ 210.28 Reports of usage for significant nonblanket licensees.

§ 210.29 Reporting and distribution of royalties to copyright owners by the mechanical licensing collective.

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Chapter 210

§ 210.1 General.

§ 210.2 Definitions.

§ 210.3 Accounting requirements where sales revenue is “recognized.”

§ 210.11 Record companies using individual download licenses.

§ 210.4 Accounting requirements for offsetting phonorecord reserves with returned phonorecords.

§ 210.5 Situations in which a compulsory licensee is barred from maintaining reserves.

§ 210.6 Monthly statements of account.

§ 210.7 of this subpart does not replace any Monthly Statement of Account.

§ 210.8 Documentation.

§ 210.9 Harmless errors.

§ 210.10 Statements required for limitation on liability for digital music providers for the transition period prior to the license availability date.

§ 210.12-210.20 [Reserved]

§ 210.21 General.

§ 210.22 Definitions.

§ 210.23 Designation of the mechanical licensing collective and digital licensee coordinator.

§ 210.24 Notices of blanket license.

§ 210.25 Notices of nonblanket activity.

§ 210.26 Data collection and delivery efforts by digital music providers and musical work copyright owners.

§ 210.27 Reports of usage and payment for blanket licensees.

§ 210.28 Reports of usage for significant nonblanket licensees.

§ 210.29 Reporting and distribution of royalties to copyright owners by the mechanical licensing collective.

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