What is a Content ID claim?

If you upload a video that contains copyright-protected material, you could end up with a Content ID claim. These claims are issued by companies that own music, films, TV programmes, video games or other copyright-protected material.

If you received a copyright strike, this article will not be helpful to you.

Where do I see my Content ID claims?

To see if you have any Content ID claims on your videos, visit the copyright notices section of your Video Manager. In certain cases when your video or account is affected, we may also email you when you get a Content ID claim.

Am I in trouble?

In most cases, getting a Content ID claim isn’t a bad thing for your YouTube channel. It just means, “Hey, we found some material in your video that’s owned by someone else.”

It’s up to copyright owners to decide whether or not others can re-use their original material. In many cases, copyright owners allow the use of their content in YouTube videos in exchange for putting ads on those videos.

However, there are some cases when copyright owners don’t want their material reused:

  • Blocking a video: Sometimes, copyright owners may block your video, which means people won’t be able to watch it. They can decide to block your video worldwide or just in certain countries. If your video is blocked worldwide, your account standing may be affected, which means you’ll lose access to some YouTube features. Please keep in mind that deleting videos that affect your account standing won’t restore your good standing.

  • Muting a video: If your video contains copyright-protected music, the owner may choose to mute it. This means that people can still watch your video, but they won’t be able to hear the soundtrack. This won’t affect your account standing.

  • Blocking certain platforms: In some cases, copyright owners may restrict the devices, apps or websites on which their content can appear. These restrictions won’t change the availability of your video on YouTube.com.

In most cases, you can’t monetise a video that has a Content ID claim. Instead, the copyright owners can choose to monetise your video.

What can I do about this claim?

When you get a Content ID claim, there are a few different things you can do, depending on the situation:

  • Acknowledge the claim: If you agree with the claim, you can just acknowledge it and move on. You can always change your mind later if you disagree with the claim.

  • Remove the music: If you get a claim for a piece of music in your video, you can try to remove the song without having to edit and upload a new video. Learn more.

  • Swap the music: If music in your video is claimed, but you still want to have music in the background, you can replace your audio track with one of our free-to-use songs. Learn more.

  • Share revenue: If you’re a member of our YouTube Partner Programme and you’re performing an eligible song cover, you may be able to share revenue with the music publisher. That way, both of you can earn money on the video! Learn more.

  • Dispute the claim: If you have the required rights to use the copyright-protected content in your video, or if you think the system has somehow misidentified your video, you can dispute the claim.

    To dispute the claim, go to your copyright notices and click the link to the right of the video's Edit menu. This will take you to a page with information about what’s been claimed in your video and who claimed it. You’ll also find the option to dispute the claim on this page.

If you dispute a claim without a valid reason, the content owner may choose to take down your video. If this happens, your account will get a copyright strike.

Deleting videos that affect your account standing won’t restore your good standing.

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