Music Canada Obtains First Canadian Music Industry Site Blocking Against Stream Ripping

June 16, 2026, TORONTO: The Federal Court of Canada has issued a landmark, first-ever-in-Canada website blocking order against operators of websites that actively enable stream ripping — the unauthorized copying of music from legitimate, licensed, streaming services.   This is also the first site blocking order issued on behalf of the Canadian music industry.

Stream ripping is one of the most widespread forms of music piracy today. It cuts artists out of the royalties they’ve earned by siphoning listeners away from legitimate streaming services, and it directly threatens the foundation of Canada’s music marketplace, as online streaming now drives more than 75% of recorded music revenue in Canada.

The order was issued in response to an action by Music Canada on behalf of its members, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada, and Warner Music Canada, to protect the music of their artists and the health of the wider licensed, legitimate streaming marketplace.

The Canadian operations of three leading operators of websites that each actively enable stream ripping are blocked by the dynamic order, meaning that if the sites change domains or IP addresses in an attempt to evade the block, those variants can also be blocked.

This important outcome follows successful cease and desist notices from Music Canada that closed or blocked four different sites operated by three different stream ripping services — including the most popular stream ripping site in Canada, which had been recording upwards of 1.7 million monthly visits — and follow up notices that closed multiple additional stream ripping sites.

“Music Canada is committed to taking action against bad actors who deliberately steal from artists and rightsholders,” said Patrick Rogers, CEO of Music Canada. “Our goal is to ensure that artists are paid when their music is played. Preventing stream ripping services from operating is one way in which we can help do that.”

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About Music Canada: 

Music Canada is the trade association representing Canada’s major record labels: Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Like its members, Music Canada is a partner to the industry, working with artists, independent labels, publishers, platforms, associations and others, in advancing forward-looking policies to ensure a dynamic and successful Canadian music ecosystem which returns value to music creators.

For further information, please contact: Victoria Khajavi (vkhajavi@musiccanada.com)