Before entering data in Reprtoir, it is essential to understand how rights information is structured in the music publishing industry. Rights data is not only about who owns what, but also about who is allowed to collect where.

Ownership vs. Collection

• Ownership defines the legal reality: who owns what share of a work. These are the contractual rights established between authors, composers, and publishers.
• Collection defines the practical administration: who is authorized to collect royalties for those shares, and in which territories.

In industry practice:

• When you send data to a CMO/PRO/MRO, you must declare ownership and collection for the shares you control. This allows societies to register, process and distribute royalties correctly.
• When you send data to a partner (for example, a Sub-Publisher), you usually provide ownership only. The partner is responsible for adding their own collection rules, since they know the specifics of their local PRO and the correct Agreement Numbers.

This distinction ensures clarity: CMOs receive everything they need to manage royalties, while partners keep control of their own administration details.

Controlled vs. Uncontrolled Shares

• Controlled Shares are the rights that your company manages through contracts or mandates.
• Uncontrolled Shares belong to contributors outside your company’s control, but they still need to be declared for a complete and transparent chain of rights.

Best practice: Always declare your controlled shares. Optionally, you may also declare uncontrolled shares, but only for ownership (not collection). This way, societies see the full structure of the work.

Worldwide vs. Territorial Rules

• Worldwide Rules apply when rights are administered globally (e.g., an Original Publisher or an Administrator with a worldwide mandate).
• Territorial Rules apply when rights are limited to specific countries or regions (e.g., Sub-Publishing or Administration in France, Germany, Benelux, etc.).

In Reprtoir:

• The **Worldwide box **always reflects ownership rights.
• Territorial boxes are added to declare specific collection rules for Sub-Publishers or Administrators.

Summary

Rights data is structured around three key axes:

1. Ownership vs. Collection (legal vs. administrative view).
2. Controlled vs. Uncontrolled Shares (what you manage vs. what you don’t).
3. Worldwide vs. Territorial Rules (global vs. specific territories).

Understanding these distinctions is the foundation for entering valid and CWR-compliant data in Reprtoir.