YouTube copyright claims are discouraging but necessary. These alerts, which are extremely common, let you know when you’ve used someone else's content in your video. Before the consequences get serious, it’s good to know when you’ve overstepped your bounds as a creator.

The violations that trip up some creators are quite common. Content that includes video clips, images, or audio you haven’t produced yourself will likely spark a copyright claim. Fortunately, you can remove these alerts. All you have to do is substitute copyrighted content for original content you own.

, which means the copyright owner submitted a legal takedown request for the video. Collecting three strikes is serious. At that point, YouTube will terminate your channel and bar you from creating another one.

What's the Difference Between a Copyright Claim and a Copyright Strike?

Copyright claims aren’t as devastating as strikes, but they do feel like a speed bump in the YouTube journey. That’s because...

You can lose monetization for your video.

YouTube may restrict viewing to certain countries. 

Want to reduce the number of copyright claims on your channel? YouTube just gave creators the best gift ever. It’s a feature that warns you, before publishing a video, that a copyright match was found.

How to Check a YouTube Video for Copyright Claims

Uploading a YouTube video requires several steps. Before your content goes live, you'll give it a title, thumbnail, description, keywords, and other elements to help people find and watch the video.

an extra step that happens automatically.

 YouTube will inspect your content to see if it contains copyrighted material. This happens when you reach the 

This is a game-changer. YouTube’s copyright checker tells you how long the process will take, and it reports copyright matches before you hit publish. At that point, you can choose the best course of action. That may be disputing the claim or taking steps to remove it.

On the same upload page, you can view the impact a copyright claim has on your channel. Click 

Here's what you may see after expanding the details

Restrict people from viewing the video in certain countries

Make the video ineligible for monetization

the copyright holder can monetize the video

 for their financial gain. Ads may appear on the video, but the revenue goes to the copyright holder – not us. That's the price of using someone else's content. Still, it’s better than receiving copyright strikes and nearly losing a channel that took years to grow.

Removing or Disputing a YouTube Copyright Claim

If you decide to move forward and upload the video, you can remove or dispute its copyright claim.

Two questions will appear: “Remove claimed content?” or “Do you have rights to this content?” Beneath the first question, you’ll see options for fixing the copyright claim. If your video contains copyrighted music, for example, you can 

If you own the rights to the content, navigate to 

“Do you have rights to this content?”

Need extra guidance? Watch the video below for detailed steps:

You have some flexibility with copyrighted music, but copyrighted video footage has to be removed. Simply delete that part of your video and re-upload the new version from scratch.

Ready to Publish Your Video? Here’s Why You Should Wait.

Imagine this. You’ve brainstormed a video idea, done some keyword research, and spent hours filming. You’ve edited everything for maximum clarity. Viewers have been asking for the video, so you know it's going to do well. That makes you excited – elated, even – to upload the video and 

On the upload page, you add everything the video needs – a title, thumbnail, description, and keywords – to reach full optimization. You even pass the copyright check without a hitch. Your next instinct is to publish the video because well, why not?

We know what you may be thinking. Didn’t YouTube “finish” processing the video within minutes? That’s what YouTube reports, but it's not the full story. Things are happening in the background, which means you should 

wait two hours before publishing a video.

 so YouTube has time to report accurate information about your video.

Assuming you haven’t already, you can save most of your optimizing for this waiting period. You can:

Optimize your video’s title and thumbnail.

And on YouTube’s end, there will be extra time to:

Continue checking the video for copyright claims.

Identify things that violate advertising guidelines (so you can make money).

Process your video so it plays at the highest quality.

Keeping your channel in good standing is rule number one for successful creators. In addition to avoiding copyright claims, never make these 

Are you tired of getting YouTube copyright claims? With this simple guide, you can remove or even prevent them from appearing on your channel.

How to Remove YouTube Copyright Claims From Your Videos [2021 Update]

The world of copyright isn’t always as cut and dried as a rights holder claiming that you used their content. There can be a number of complicated moving parts when it comes to digital rights management and your responsibilities and obligations as a YouTube creator.

In the first of a series on rights management and social video, we're going to answer a question we get asked a lot: 

what is the difference between a copyright strike and a copyright claim?

 Please note that this post is an overview of how copyright works on YouTube. Please consult a lawyer if you need advice on a specific case.

Before we take a deeper dive into the differences, here's a quick overview of both types of copyright infringement processes. Essentially a copyright claim is someone asserting that you have used their content, whether that be a video clip, an image, or a piece of audio. A copyright strike is much more serious for a YouTube creator and your channel can be suspended for repeated copyright offenses.

Copyright claims are also known as Content ID claims. Content ID is a fully-automated digital rights management tool on the YouTube platform that scans videos and notifies the rights holder if their video clips, images, or audio have been used without express permission. Regarding copyright/Content ID claims you should know the following:

A claim will not adversely affect your YouTube channel.

The rights holder can claim the revenue on your video if you have used their content.

The copyright holder can place ads on your video to generate that revenue.

The copyright holder can restrict your video in some countries or regions.

The copyright holder may also choose to take no action (but absolutely don’t rely on that!)

Copyright claims are a part of Copyright Law.

Copyright claims only apply to the videos flagged and not the entire channel

A claim can be proven false depending upon if you really own the content that is being claimed by someone else.

A copyright strike is issued to a creator if they’ve uploaded something within their video that they do not own the rights to. The copyright holder has the right to remove that video from YouTube altogether, which means it’s blocked everywhere and the ability to generate any further ad revenue is shut down. Creators should know the following about copyright strikes on YouTube:

A copyright strike WILL adversely affect your channel.

The copyright holder can completely remove your video from YouTube.

If you receive a copyright strike you won’t be able to monetize your videos.

You also won’t be able to live stream from your account.

If you receive 3 copyright strikes, your YouTube channel will be terminated and you’ll be banned from creating another one.

Unsurprisingly, YouTube isn’t here to play when it comes to copyright infringement. The platform has 

 that match copyright policies in the USA (and presumably beyond), and it states very clearly that:

“Creators should only upload videos that they have made or that they’re authorized to use. Users should not upload videos that they didn’t make or use content in videos that someone else owns without necessary authorizations."

So, with that warning in mind, let's take a more detailed look at claims and strikes.

YouTube's copyright infringement detection is incredibly sophisticated. The platform uses proprietary software called Content ID which scans content and notifies creators (who have access to the tool) where their work may have been copied. That creator can then decide whether to make a claim, depending on whether the video falls under 

, instead of submitting a copyright takedown notice.

These YouTube accounts can also make a manual claim for anything the Content ID tool misses for any reason.

As a general rule, Content ID claims are made against video clips, audio, and other content that qualifies as owned media and hasn’t been available for publication on YouTube. Claims are issued to creators if they don't own the TV or music clips, music, or other copyrighted media.

The rights owners have full control of their Content ID policy. Some creators and media publishers always opt to stop certain content from being uploaded to YouTube, like TV clips or music videos. Others allow their content to remain published on the uploader’s channel but only if some or all of the advertising revenue is funneled back to the copyright owners as compensation.

That all sounds a little confusing so let’s break it down.

ContentID claims come with a monetization, tracking, or viewing restriction rule. For the latter, the video may only remain live in certain countries or regions at the rightsholder’s discretion. The owner can also decide to:

Block the entire video from being viewed on YouTube.

Monetize the video by placing ads against it - this might come with the option of a potential revenue share with the uploader.

The rights owner takes 100% of the revenue share from ads. The creator can still keep the video up but they won’t generate any revenue from that upload.

Track the video’s viewership stats which disables any monetization and lets the owner see how well your video is performing in case they choose to claim any revenue in the future.

YouTube itself has a handy guide for the options 

 Not everyone can access the Content ID feature. YouTube has very specific criteria for rights owners who want to track their content. Find out 

OK, let's tackle what happens if you receive a Content ID claim against one of your videos.

In order to resolve and remove a copyright claim, the uploader will need to dispute it. Once the claim has been formally disputed by the uploader, the rights owner then has 

 to that appeal with the option of either:

Releasing the claim if they find evidence that the uploader does in fact have permission to use the material (as is often the case when a creator uses a music track licensed through a third party like 

Rejecting the dispute and upholding the claim because they believe they still have a strong and valid case

Removing the video in question from YouTube by submitting a copyright takedown request. This will lead to a copyright strike against your channel (see below).

Deciding not to respond to the appeal and let the claim on their part expire.

While the content is in dispute any viewing restrictions are reversed, and the video can continue to generate revenue through ads. However, that revenue will be held in a neutral account and only released to the party who wins the dispute.

If the rights owner doesn’t respond within 30 days, the Content ID claim is automatically released. But if they reject the dispute, the claim gets reinstated once more. The uploader can again appeal and fight their case, and again, the rights holder has 30 days to respond. In the meantime, the ad revenue holding account kicks in again, as does the lift on any viewing restrictions.

At this stage in the dispute, the rights owner can either release their claim, choose to take down the video, or set up a “delayed takedown.” If the owner opts to go down the delayed takedown route, the uploader will be automatically notified that they have just 7 days to retract their appeal or the video will be automatically taken down and disappear forever from YouTube. 

Talking of YouTube, take a few minutes to watch their advice about ContentID claims:

So, we’ve covered the main points of Content ID claims, now let’s take a look at copyright strikes.

PSA: You do NOT want to attract any copyright strikes against your channel!

A copyright strike is issued when a rights owner requests the legal removal of a video on YouTube because the uploader didn’t have the permission to use their images, audio, or video clips. 

), a strike differs significantly from a claim.

Copyright strikes are manual and are activated when a rights owner files a DMCA takedown request. The owner must supply YouTube with specific information regarding the takedown which includes:

The rightsholder’s contact information.

A thorough description of the material the owner wants to protect.

A sworn statement of good faith belief that the material (a video clip, a gif, an image, etc) has been used without express permission.

After a takedown request is filed by the rights owner, YouTube has to remove the video in question from the uploader’s channel. That creator is notified, and they can either file a counter-notice or accept the takedown decision.

If the video is taken down following a manual claim, the creator’s channel will receive a copyright strike. Oh, and deleting the offending video will not resolve the strike.

What Happens After Your First Copyright Strike?

If you receive a copyright strike against a video, take that as a real warning that YouTube now believes that your account is losing 

. The first copyright strike received may negatively affect some channel features like a stop to any live streaming or monetization. 

YouTube is willing to give the creator another chance at this stage though because the first copyright strike will expire after 90 days as long as they complete the courses in 

What Happens After Your Second and Third Copyright Strike?

OK, the danger level just turned up a notch. If your channels receive a second copyright strike before the first strike has even expired, you will have then have to wait 

 90 days until the second strike has expired. In the meantime, your account remains out of good standing.

If you receive a third copyright strike before the first two strikes have expired, 

YouTube will automatically terminate your account and remove all of your uploaded videos

. You’ll also be banned from creating any new channels.

In a few cases, the bad news doesn’t end there. You could face a legal challenge and the media you used without permission could take you all the way to court. If you lose the case you could end up with massive legal fees plus a substantial fine to pay off. Good times.

Can You Still Monetize Your YouTube Channel If You Have Received a Copyright Claim or Copyright Strike?

the video below. and the answer is possibly, maybe, but also probably not. 

 but aren’t accepted, YouTube doesn’t give enough of an explanation as to why you were rejected, so you’ll never know whether your application failed because of a copyright issue.

However, we do know that to monetize your channel, you have to comply with YouTube's Terms of Service, copyright guidelines, and community guidelines, as well as Google's ad policies.

So if you have a copyright claim or a copyright strike on your channel, will you be rejected for monetization? No, but bear in mind copyright strikes are serious offenses.

If your channel has no copyright claims, and no copyright strikes, you'll automatically be accepted into the YouTube Partner Program? Again, no because you've also got to consider all of the other community guidelines you need to adhere to.

The difference between copyright takedowns and Content ID claims

The legal issues all YouTube creators need to know about

The expert's guide to Fair Use & copyright on YouTube

How to get royalty-free music for your YouTube videos

YouTubers, do you know the difference between a copyright claim and a copyright strike? If not, find out right now.

We all want to use the latest commercial music or a track from our favorite artist in our YouTube videos. But we also want to do it the right way, without fear of attracting any copyright strikes.

So how do you do that? Someone who knows everything there is to know about the music industry and YouTube is the Founder and CEO of Lickd, Paul Sampson. 

 is a chart-music licensing platform for video creators and Paul has spent over 15 years creating revenue with music licensing. In this episode of TubeTalk you will learn:


The differences between royalty-free vs copyright claims-free vs production music vs commercial music

How the YouTube copyright system actually works from a brand's point of view

Who gets the money if your video is claimed

Why you should NEVER use Royalty-free music from Soundcloud

How to legally use your favorite artist's track in your next video

 for the very latest news around copyright & music.

Want to Know More About Copyright Issues?

Can you take somebody else's music and use it in the background of your video as long as you credit them in the description? Do you really know your rights when it comes to your content and what you can and cannot do? 

Find out more about the wonderful world of copyright in 

our expert's guide to Fair Use & copyright on YouTube

is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry

. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to TubeTalk on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode!

You can also find the complete list of all the 

 Hands up who wants to use a track from their favorite artist in their YouTube video but doesn't want a copyright strike? Find out how to use copyrighted music legally in this episode of TubeTalk.

How to Use Copyright Music on YouTube Completely Legally

Royalty-free music isn’t a perk reserved for large creators. YouTubers of all sizes need 

 to make better content and attract more viewers.

Think about it: Have you watched a video that seemed OK, but everything improved once the music kicked in? At that moment, you probably felt the “cinematic mood” as the music paced the story.

Well, viewers can feel that, too. They might not leave a comment saying so, but there’s a reason polished videos get significant views. And that reason alone is why you should 

find royalty-free music for YouTube content

If a song is royalty-free, you don't need to pay 

 it's used in a video.  At most, you'd pay a one-time fee to use the song if it's not free already.

By doing this, you'll skip the hassle of dealing with copyright holders and reduce copyright claims and strikes on your channel.

If that sounds good to you, here’s your guide for finding high-quality stock music.

Did you know there’s a YouTube library of free music? This resource is from YouTube itself and pretty much guarantees you won’t use copyrighted music. Every sound in the collection is copyright-free and ready to download.

Use the menu tabs to switch between free music, sound effects, and favorite tracks. You can also search for music by title, genre, mood, artist name, duration, and attribution requirements.

Click the play button to hear what a track sounds like.

Ready to download from the YouTube audio library? Hover your mouse over any track and click 

As a creator, you’re allowed to use these tracks and continue 

There’s a good selection of music, too: jazz, rock, reggae, pop, folk, country music, and other genres. Just make sure you don't distribute the music yourself or use it in illegal content.

Best Royalty-Free Music Sites for YouTube

The free music library on YouTube is helpful, but some people just need 

They might want royalty-free background music that sounds better, uses different instruments, or creates a specific vibe.

If that sounds like you, it’s time to find a music website and pay for original tracks. This isn’t the same as paying for 

Here are the best royalty-free music sites:

The sites above require a little cash, but that’s better than going to risky sites to find free music.

Technically, an artist offering royalty-free music (for free) could change their mind in the future. After that, what’s stopping them from slapping a copyright claim on your video?

It’s not a common situation, and people usually aren’t that sneaky. But there’s a slight chance it could happen. To protect yourself, we suggest using royalty-free music from YouTube directly or paying a small fee for original music.

Now that you have some royalty-free jams, learn how to 

Do you want to add royalty-free music to your YouTube videos? Here’s how to find the perfect tunes and take your channel to the next level.

How to Get Royalty Free Music for Your YouTube Videos

Copyright claims and the effect they have on your ability to monetize your content on YouTube is one of the most asked questions we receive at vidIQ. And I think the reason for that is because YouTube itself doesn’t provide a definitive answer.

Also, if you apply for the YouTube Partner Program and are rejected, YouTube doesn’t give you a thorough enough explanation as to why which also adds to the confusion, if in fact, you do have a strike or claim against one of your videos.

When a creator uses content without the permission of the owner of that content, the creator runs the risk of violating copyright laws.

Now, fair use aside (read more about that defence in the 

expert's guide to fair use & copyright on YouTube

), let's just say you are guilty of using another person's work. YouTube handles this in two different ways: copyright claims and copyright strikes.

When you receive a copyright claim, YouTube, as a third party, is basically saying that you the creator, can use the copyright owner’s content, but the owner of that copyrighted content has the right to place adverts on your video and earn income from it.

In this case, you the creator are not punished for uploading the content that doesn’t belong to you, but you won’t generate any revenue from that upload.

A copyright claim is a lot better than receiving a copyright strike. A strike means the owner of the I.P. you are using (whether that’s a video clip, an image, or audio) isn't playing ball at all. If the owner asserts their rights to their own content, your video will be removed from your channel and you will also receive a copyright strike.

Three copyright strikes and your channel will be terminated. And it might not end there either. In extreme cases, you could find yourself in legal hot water and have to defend yourself in court.

Copyright laws are complicated. To quickly get up to speed on the basics, take time to watch the video below. It’s old in YouTube years but is still one of the very best explanations we’ve seen on the subject:

There are a few more things to clarify. Your channel doesn’t have to be monetized in order to receive copyright claims and copyright strikes.

Even if you have zero subscribers, zero views and it's your very first video, if you have used copyrighted content belongs to another creator, you could get a claim or a strike.

Also, there is no guidebook or directory that's going to tell you whether or not you will get a copyright claim or a copyright strike. You need to use your common sense.

The YouTube copyright system isn't something that you can hack, and it's not a game to be played with. If your mindset is, I know the risks, I'm going to use somebody else’s content anyway because I just want to monetize some of mine, then you're probably going to run into problems.

Having said that, there are many creators who’ve probably use copyrighted content unintentionally and now they're worried about whether or not their entire channel is going to be affected when it comes to applying for monetization. So let's look at what YouTube does tell us about applying for the 

The first one being the review process. If you just needed 

1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of Watch Time

, all of this will be very simple. But to monetize your channel, you also need to comply with YouTube's community guidelines, Terms of Service, copyright guidelines, and Google's ad policies.

Now that's a lot of complicated stuff and requires human input which is why each channel that applies for the YouTube Partner Program must be assessed by a human reviewer, as the platform makes clear:

Not to give humankind a bad rap here but we're not perfect, were rarely consistent and we can't do absolutely everything all at once. Now, of course, a human is going to follow a set of guidelines and protocols from YouTube, and they look something like this:

It's not a complete list of everything that YouTube will review on your channel, but when it comes to the question of copyright affecting your application, ‘

’ are probably the two biggest red flags.

For example, let's say you've made 10 videos on your channel and just one of those videos has a copyright claim but that single video accounts for 60% of your Watch Time because it went viral, thanks to the copyright content within that video.

In that case, have you really reached 4000 hours of Watch Time within the spirit of the YouTube monetization program?

On the other hand, let's say a creator has hundreds of videos on their channel and four or five of them have copyright claims but those videos account for just 20 to 30 hours of the channels total Watch Time. The human reviewer at YouTube is probably going to recognize that as nothing to be too concerned about.

__And just to be clear, this is hypothetical, I'm not saying this as fact, I'm just putting myself in YouTube shoes. __

Now some may argue what's wrong with using copyrighted content on my channel. I'm not monetized, but it allows you to put adverts on my videos so that YouTube earns money from it. While in the short term that may be true and it will earn YouTube a few extra bucks, in the long term it degrades the credibility of the platform.

If your channel has no copyright claims, and no copyright strikes, you'll automatically be accepted into the YouTube Partner Program. Again, no because you've also got to consider all of the other community guidelines you need to adhere to.

As always, when it comes to YouTube, it's never a black or white answer, but let's fast forward to the worst-case scenario. You know, you've got copyright claims on your channel, you apply for monetization and you're rejected. What happens next?

Well, there is a silver lining. You can reapply, but it gets awkward. If you use someone else's content enough to annoy YouTube, they will reject your application via email with the headline reason of either duplication or reuse content.

The frustrating problem from the creator’s point of view is that YouTube won't tell you specifically what's wrong with your channel. They will list a certain video that needs to be removed or tell you that you need to get rid of some copyright claimed videos. You have to work it out. And then 30 days after you were rejected, you can reapply.

If you want to more insights into YouTube then make sure to download vidIQ. Over 1 million creators use vidIQ to help with keyword and competitor research, channel audits, and so much more. 

And if you’re serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

. Learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

If you have a copyright claim or a copyright strike against any of your videos, will you still be able to apply for the YouTube Partner Program and monetize your content? Find out now.

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