Copyright counter notification basics

Copyright-protected content may be taken down from YouTube if it's been uploaded without the copyright owner's authorization. A counter notification is a legal request for YouTube to reinstate a video that was removed for alleged copyright infringement.

When is a counter notification appropriate?

You can only pursue a counter notice when a video that you uploaded was disabled due to a mistake or misidentification of the content. This includes fair use. It should not be pursued under any other circumstances.

If your video was disabled for copyright but does not fit the criteria above, you should not pursue a counter notice. Instead, you can wait for your copyright strike to expire, usually after 90 days. You may also want to reach out to the copyright owner directly to get a retraction of the copyright infringement.

How to pursue a counter notice

You can pursue a counter notification in your Video Manager and, if it is complete and valid, YouTube will forward it to the claimant. Counter notifications must be submitted by the video’s original uploader or an agent authorized to act on their behalf, such as an attorney.

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
  2. From the left menu, select Videos.
  3. Click on Copyright claim next to the respective video under the Monetization column if available. Otherwise, you’ll see this option under the Visibility column.
  4. Click on View Copyright claim details.
  5. This will take you to the Video Copyright Info page where you can see information about the takedown.
  6. Click Submit counter notification under SELECT ACTION.

Creator Studio Classic Instructions

  1. Sign in to YouTube.
  2. Go to Creator Studio and then Video Manager and then Copyright Notices.
  3. You'll see a list of your copyright notices.
  4. Follow the link to submit a counter notice using the form.
  5. If the counter notice is complete and valid, YouTube will forward it to the claimant. 
When we forward the counter notice, we will include the full text of the counter notice, including any personal information you provide. By submitting a counter notification, you consent to sharing your information with the claimant. We will not forward the counter notification to any party other than the original claimant. The claimant may use this information to file a lawsuit against you in order to keep the content from being restored to YouTube.

After we process your counter notification by forwarding it to the claimant, the claimant has 10 business days to give us evidence that they've initiated a court action to keep the content down. This time period is a requirement of copyright law, so please be patient.

If your account has been suspended for multiple copyright violations, the counter notification webform will be inaccessible. If appropriate, you may submit a free-form counter notification.

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