Use the Copyright Match Tool

The Copyright Match Tool can automatically identify videos that are matches or potential matches of other videos on YouTube. Once a match has been identified, you can review it in YouTube Studio and choose which action you’d like to take.

How to use the Copyright Match Tool

How it works

The Copyright Match Tool is available to any YouTube user who’s submitted a valid copyright removal request. Once your removal request is approved, the Copyright Match Tool starts scanning YouTube uploads for potential matches to the videos reported in your removal request. Then, you can review these potential matches and decide what action to take.

For partners in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), or any channel that’s filled out this form and shown a need for an advanced rights management tool, the Copyright Match Tool scans for full reuploads of your videos on other YouTube channels. The tool scans videos uploaded after yours, so it’s important you’re the first one to upload the content to YouTube.

Misuse of the Copyright Match Tool may result in loss of feature access or termination of your YouTube account or partnership. Misuse includes intentional or repeated abuse of the copyright removal request process or attempted probing or reverse engineering of the match system.

Review and take action on matches

Before you review your matches, keep in mind that just because we’ve found a matching video doesn’t mean it's infringing on your copyright. It's your responsibility to review each match and consider whether fair use, fair dealing, or a similar copyright exception applies.

To review and take action on matches of your videos:

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
From the left menu, select Copyright .
Click the Matches tab.
Review the matching videos. You can select a filter to find videos by number of views (Total views) or channels by number of subscribers (Subscribers).
Check the box next to the video you want to take action on. Choose an action to take:
- ARCHIVE: This option removes the match from your Matches tab. The matching video itself isn't deleted or affected. Archived matches show up in your Archive tab.
- REQUEST REMOVAL: This option opens our removal request webform so you can submit a removal request for the matching video. After submitting, you can track your removal requests in your Removal Requests tab.
- CONTACT CHANNEL: This option lets you send a pre-written email to the uploader of the matching video. You can find past emails you’ve sent in your Messages tab.

To review and take action on potential matches of your videos:

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
From the left menu, select Copyright .
Click the Removal Requests tab.
In the Find matches column, you can find potential matches that weren’t eligible to be automatically prevented from reupload because they weren’t copies.
Click a row. The row expands to show more details about the video.
Click VIEW MATCHES. The Matches tab opens and is filtered to show the potential matches.
Check the box next to the video you want to take action on. Choose an action to take:
- ARCHIVE: This option removes the match from your Matches tab. The matching video itself isn't deleted or affected. Archived matches show up in your Archive tab.
- REQUEST REMOVAL: This option opens our removal request webform so you can submit a removal request for the matching video. After submitting, you can view the videos you requested the removal of in your Removal Requests tab.
- CONTACT CHANNEL: This option lets you send a pre-written email to the uploader of the matching video. You can find past emails you’ve sent in your Messages tab.

Check your Matches tab often to stay updated on new matches the Copyright Match Tool has found. You’ll also get bell notifications

on your channel page to let you know when matches are found.

FAQs

What happens if I don’t want to do anything with a match?

You don’t have to take action on each match. You can simply archive a match to remove it from your Matches tab. We’ll only surface each match once, so if you archive it, it won’t appear in your Matches tab again.

I found a video on YouTube that matches my content but wasn’t in my Matches tab. Why wasn’t it caught?

The Copyright Match Tool is meant to find full or nearly-full matches to your videos. If someone used a short clip of your video, it may not be surfaced. If you know of a reupload of one of your videos that you’d like removed, you can always report it using the copyright removal request webform.

Why aren’t all of my videos eligible for matching?

There are a few reasons why we might not scan for matches to one of your uploads:

You weren’t the first to upload the video to YouTube
The video is already protected by Content ID
The video has a Content ID claim on it

I’m a musician. Can I use this tool to find uploads of my songs?

Yes, if you use the copyright removal request webformto successfully remove someone's video that used your song or audio content, the Copyright Match Tool will surface other videos with audio that could potentially match your song or audio content. The Copyright Match Tool can also find reuploads where the audio may be replaced or dubbed.

Keep in mind that, if someone used a portion of your song or audio content in their video, it won't be surfaced by the Copyright Match Tool. If you find a video that uses your audio without permission, you can always report it using our copyright removal request webform.

Why don’t you take down my matching videos automatically?

YouTube relies on copyright owners to tell us about unauthorized uses of their content. We can only tell who uploaded a video first, not who owns it or has permission to upload it.

Many creators give other channels permission to reupload their videos. Sometimes, creators will reach a licensing agreement after the reupload, or collaborate on videos and upload copies to several channels.

In addition, not every use of your content may be infringing on your copyright. Fair use and public domain are a few examples of reasons a reupload of your content may be valid.

To balance the rights of uploaders with the rights of original copyright owners, the Copyright Match Tool tries to give creators info about reuploads. Then, after they carefully review the match, the Copyright Match Tool allows them to decide what they want to do.

I’ve requested removal of several videos on a channel. Why hasn’t it been terminated?

We have numerous safeguards in place against abuse of the copyright removal request process. Our system makes sure that channels have an opportunity to address copyright strikes before being terminated.

If you submit numerous removal requests against a channel that's still live, then it's likely that one of those mechanisms is in effect. The number of removal requests against a channel is considered in our enforcement policies. If you continue to come across content, you can submit a removal request.

Can I report an entire channel?

If someone uses another individual's personal info to deceive people into thinking they're someone else on YouTube, we consider that impersonation.

If you feel that you're being impersonated, report it using our impersonation webform. If those criteria don’t apply, you can use our copyright removal request webform to report videos you feel infringe on your copyright.

How can I get access to the Copyright Match Tool?

The Copyright Match Tool is available to any YouTube user who’s submitted a valid copyright removal request. Once your removal request is approved, the Copyright Match Tool will start scanning YouTube uploads for potential matches to the videos reported in your removal request. We’ll surface these potential matches to you so you can decide what action to take next.

The Copyright Match Tool is also available to any channel that’s filled out this form and shown a need for an advanced rights management tool. For channels in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), the tool is available on the Copyright page in YouTube Studio.

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