Dispute a Content ID claim
If you get a Content ID claim on your video that you believe is invalid, you can choose to dispute that claim. When you dispute a Content ID claim the copyright owner will be notified and they'll have 30 days to respond.
If you received a copyright strike, use the process outlined in our copyright strike basics, instead of the one described below.
You can dispute a Content ID claim if you believe the system misidentified your video, or if you have all the rights to use that copyright-protected content.
Know before you dispute
Make sure you understand how fair use and the public domain work before you choose to dispute for either of those reasons. YouTube can’t help you determine whether you should dispute a claim. You may want to seek your own legal advice if you’re not sure what to do.
Disputes shouldn't be taken lightly, and are only intended for cases where you have all necessary rights to the content in your video. Repeated or malicious abuse of the dispute process can result in penalties against your video or channel.
How to dispute
- Sign in to your YouTube account.
- In the top right, click your account icon > Creator Studio.
- On the left, click Video manager > Copyright notices
- Click on the © symbol next to the video with the claim you wish to dispute. This will take you to information about what’s been claimed in your video and who claimed it.
- Click "File a dispute" and fill out the appropriate fields to submit your dispute.
After you dispute
What happens after I dispute?After you submit your dispute, the copyright owner has 30 days to respond. During this time, the claim will be temporarily released. If they don’t respond within 30 days, their claim on your video will expire, and you don’t need to do anything.
There are a few things that the copyright owner can do after you dispute:
- Release the claim: If they agree with your dispute, they can choose to release their claim. If you were previously monetizing the video, your monetization settings will be restored automatically when all claims on your video are released.
- Uphold the claim: If they believe their claim is still valid, they can choose to uphold it. If you feel it was mistakenly upheld, you may be able to appeal their decision.
- Take down your video: They can submit a copyright takedown request to remove your video from YouTube, which means you’ll get a copyright strike on your account.
While your dispute is active, two things may happen to your monetization depending on the policy that the Content ID claimant has set for the claim:
- If the policy is set to block or track, this policy will be temporarily lifted until your dispute is resolved. During this time, your video will not be monetized.
- If you have monetization enabled on your video and the claimant wishes to monetize their claim on the video as well, we will continue to show ads on it and hold the earnings separately. As soon as the dispute is resolved, we'll pay the revenue earned during the dispute to the appropriate party. Learn more about monetization during a Content ID dispute.
If you’ve already disputed a Content ID claim and feel it was mistakenly upheld by the copyright owner, you may be able to appeal their decision. In the same place in your Video Manager where you disputed the claim, you may now see the option to appeal.
There might be restrictions that affect your ability to appeal, such as the date of your appeal. You’ll also need to verify your account if you haven’t already done so.
After you appeal a rejected dispute, the copyright owner has 30 days to respond. In these cases, monetization works the same way as during a dispute. As long as you have monetization enabled on your video and the claimant wishes to monetize their claim on the video as well, we will continue to show ads on it and hold the earnings separately. As soon as the outcome of the appeal has been determined, we'll release the revenue earned during the appeal to the appropriate party.
There are a few things the copyright owner can do after you appeal:
Do nothing, let the claim expire: If they don’t respond within 30 days, their claim on your video will expire, and you don’t need to do anything.
Release the claim: If the copyright owner agrees with your dispute, they can release their claim, and you don’t need to do anything.
Request immediate removal of your video: They may issue a copyright takedown request against your video if they believe their claim is still valid. This means you’ll get a copyright strike on your account, which will put your account into bad copyright standing. If you still believe that you have the rights to the content, you can submit a counter notification at this point.
Schedule a takedown request for your video: If the copyright owner issues a delayed copyright takedown request, you can cancel your appeal within 7 days, which prevents the takedown and keeps the claim active on your video.
If you change your mind, you can take back your appeal after you’ve submitted it. Click cancel appeal on the page where you disputed the claim. Keep in mind, once you cancel, you won't be able to appeal the claim again.