The following definitions explain the meaning of terms commonly used throughout the application.

Rights Holder

A rights holder is any legal entity, organization without legal personality, or natural person who owns or represents the producer’s rights of a sound recording that qualifies for protection. To be eligible, the sound recording must have been commercially released by the last day of the relevant distribution period.

User

A person who logs into the User Database at https://kiado.mahaszjogdij.hu to act on behalf of one or more rights holders.

Sound Recording

Rights holders are required to regularly report and maintain up-to-date data on their sound recordings in the MAHASZ database. Mandatory fields include: performer, title, ISRC code, release date, producer, rights holder, origin, and the start date of rights ownership.

Rights period

The time interval (start and end dates) during which the rights holder owns the rights to the sound recording. If the start date is empty, the rights are considered valid from the beginning; if the end date is empty, the rights are considered perpetual.

Share Rate

Indicates the percentage of ownership the rights holder has over the sound recording during the specified rights period.

Conflicting Sound Recording (Double claim)

A sound recording is considered conflicting if, during a given period, more than one rights holder claims ownership (based on performer, title, and version), and the total reported ownership exceeds 100%.

If a sound recording is in conflict, royalties from its usage are held in a suspense account until the rights situation is resolved. Once clarified, MAHASZ distributes these royalties through a special allocation (N/A distribution).

If the conflict is not resolved within 5 years, the accumulated royalties are distributed among the involved parties based on their reported ownership shares — unless legal proceedings are initiated. In such cases, payment is made according to a final court decision (see Distribution Rules IV/E/6).

Distribution of Royalties for Unidentified and Conflicting Recordings (N/A distribution):

This royalty distribution covers the allocation of royalties that have become payable as a result of the subsequent identification of previously unidentified sound recordings, and the resolution or expiration of the statutory limitation period for conflicting recordings.

This distribution will hereinafter be referred to as the "N/A Distribution".

Within this distribution, MAHASZ settles royalties accrued in the following cases:

  • Previously unidentified recordings:

Recordings that generated royalties in earlier distributions but whose rights holders could not be identified at the time (typically because the recording was not registered in the MAHASZ system). If the N/A distribution subsequently identifies the recording and no conflict is found, the royalty becomes payable.

  • Previously conflicting recordings:

Recordings that were previously subject to rights conflict (e.g. multiple parties claimed ownership in the MAHASZ system, or overlapping rights periods existed), but whose rights have since been clarified by the involved parties, thereby resolving the dispute.

  • Expired royalties on unidentified or conflicting recordings:

Recordings that remain in conflict, but for which the associated royalties have passed the statutory limitation period; In such cases, the royalties are distributed to the conflicting parties on a pro-rata basis according to their claimed shares. This category also includes royalties for recordings that remain unidentified and have exceeded the limitation period.