Context

You are a Co-Publisher ("Co Pub Inc.") of a work, together with another publisher (e.g. "Co Pub Partner Inc.."). Both publishers control part of the rights. You want to register the work with your Collective Management Organization (CMO/PRO/MRO) in accordance with the co-publishing agreement.

Here are the two most common approaches:

Case 1 — Co-Publishing with a Designated Publisher

You, the Co-Publisher ("Co Pub Inc."), are appointed as the Designated Publisher (sometimes informally called the leader). You submit the registration on behalf of all co-publishers.

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Key points

• You file a single registration (CWR file).
• You declare all contributors and all publishers, including their shares.
• You ensure that both controlled and uncontrolled contributors are correctly reflected.
• This approach avoids duplicate submissions and is the most common industry practice.

Case 2 — Several Publishers and Uncontrolled Contributors

You, the Co-Publisher ("Co Pub Inc."), declare only your controlled shares, while other publishers register theirs separately. There may also be unaffiliated authors who remain uncontrolled.

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Key points

• You submit a CWR file that contains only your controlled shares.
• Other publishers submit their own CWR files for the shares they control.
• Uncontrolled contributors are still listed in the chain of rights for completeness.
• Societies reconcile the data across the multiple submissions.
• This approach is often required when co-publishers are affiliated with different CMOs/PROs/MROs.