Qualifying for Content ID
Content ID eligibility is based on a variety of criteria. This includes whether or not the copyright owner’s content can be claimed through Content ID and their demonstrated need. Copyright owners must be able to provide evidence of the copyrighted content for which they control exclusive rights.
Content ID will match a user's reference content against every upload to YouTube. Copyright owners must have the exclusive rights to the material that is evaluated. Common examples of items that may not be exclusive to individuals include:
- ​mashups, “best of”s, compilations, and remixes of other works
- video gameplay, software visuals, trailers
- unlicensed music and video
- music or video that was licensed, but without exclusivity
- recordings of performances (including concerts, events, speeches, shows)
If accepted to use Content ID, copyright owners will be required to complete an agreement explicitly stating that only content with exclusive rights can be used as references. Additionally, they will need to provide the geographic locations of exclusive ownership, if not worldwide.
In addition to Content ID, we offer other copyright management tools that might better suit a copyright owner’s needs. These other tools include the copyright complaint webform, the Content Verification Program (CVP), and the Copyright Match Tool. More information about these options may be found here.