Copyright strike basics

If you get a copyright strike, that means your video has been taken down from YouTube because a copyright owner sent us a complete legal request asking us to do so. When a copyright owner formally notifies us that you don’t have their permission to post their content on the site, we’re required by law to take down your upload.

Keep in mind, videos can be removed from the site for different reasons, not all of which are copyright-related. Also, most copyright claims don't result in a strike. If you’re not sure what’s going on, we have a guide that will help you understand the copyright claim on your video.

What happens to your account when you get a copyright strike?

Receiving a copyright strike will put your account in bad standing and you will lose access to certain YouTube features.

If you receive three copyright strikes, your account will be terminated. All the videos uploaded to your account will be removed. Users with terminated accounts aren’t able to create new accounts.

Where to find information about your strike

You can find any of your videos with copyright strikes in the copyright notices section of your Video Manager, unless you’ve deleted them.

Deleting a video with a strike won’t resolve your strike.

How to resolve a copyright strike

There are three ways to resolve a copyright strike.

  1. Wait for it to expire: A copyright strike will expire in six months as long as you complete Copyright School and receive no additional copyright strikes during that time.

  2. Get a retraction: You can contact the person who claimed your video and ask them to retract their claim of copyright infringement.

  3. Submit a counter notification: If your video was mistakenly removed because it was misidentified as infringing, or qualifies as a potential fair use, you may wish to submit a counter notification.