Copyright takedowns overview
We cover what the difference is between a Copyright takedown notice and a Content ID claim, how you can resolve a Copyright strike, and general things to keep in mind about Copyright on YouTube.
Today's topic -- Copyright takedowns and Content ID
What's the difference between a Copyright takedown notice and a Content ID claim?< When a copyright owner sends us a valid legal complaint about a piece of uploaded content, this is known as a takedown notice. We work hard to filter out invalid notices, but if we receive a valid one, we'll remove your video in order to comply with Copyright law. We're also required to prevent people from repeatedly violating other people's copyright on YouTube. So, you'll also receive a Copyright strike. You can resolve a Copyright strike by waiting for it to expire after 90 days, contacting the person who took down your video and asking them to retract their complaint, or submitting a counter notification. If you get three Copyright strikes, your account is subject to termination.
Content ID, on the other hand, is an automated copyright management system. For copyright owners who have access, Content ID automatically finds videos that use their material and lets them claim it, instead of submitting a copyright takedown. So even though Content ID has a lot to do with Copyright, a Content ID claim is not the same as a Copyright takedown notice. In exchange for not issuing takedowns -- which would result in copyright strikes -- rights holders can use Content ID claims on videos to do one of three things: 1) track the video's performance but leave the video on the site, 2) block it on a country by country basis, or, most often, 3) choose to monetize the video by placing ads on it. Again, a Content ID block isn't accompanied by a copyright strike, while a copyright takedown is. Also note that unlike Copyright, there's no limit to the number of Content ID claims you're allowed to get, and they don't impact your channel or access to features.
How does the Content ID dispute process work?
If you receive a Content ID claim that you believe is incorrect, the first step would be to dispute it. Some examples of valid reasons to dispute a claim include: if you have permission or a license to use the claimed content, if you believe that the content falls under fair use, or if the video is your original content.
After you dispute a Content ID claim, the claimant will be notified and they'll have 30 days to respond. They can choose to release the claim, uphold the claim, do nothing and let the claim expire, or take your video down with a copyright takedown request.
If you're monetizing the video that received a Content ID claim, and dispute the claim within 5 days, we'll typically hold the revenue that the video is making, and pay out the appropriate party once the dispute is resolved.
If your dispute is rejected, and you feel the Content ID claim was mistakenly upheld by the copyright owner, your next step would be to appeal their decision. After an appeal, the copyright owner will have the following options -- to release the claim, let the claim expire, or if they still believe their claim is valid, they'll be required to request the immediate or scheduled takedown of your video with a copyright takedown notice. If they do request the takedown of your video, this would result in a Copyright strike for your channel. If after all these steps you still believe that you have the rights to the content, you can submit a counter notification.
A counter notification is a legal request for YouTube to reinstate the video that was removed for alleged copyright infringement. You can only pursue a counter notification when a video that you uploaded was disabled due to a mistake or misidentification of the content. If it is complete and valid, YouTube will forward it to the claimant.
From there, the claimant has 10 business days to provide us with evidence that they have initiated a court action to keep the content down. This time period is a requirement of copyright law, so we appreciate your patience. If the claimant does not to pursue court action within the 10 business days, your video will be reinstated.
Check out more info in our Help Center linked in the description below, and be sure to check out the other videos in our Copyright series linked here.