How To Dispute a Copyright Claim on YouTube

The biggest video-sharing platform, YouTube, goes the extra mile to protect the rights of digital content creators who are working hard to make a name for themselves on this platform. YouTube strives to protect creators against all unauthorized use of their content.

When you receive a copyright claim (content ID claim), it indicates that you might have used the copyrighted material of another creator without permission. But this is not always the case.

If you have reasons to believe you have not used any material unauthorized, you can dispute such copyright claims. So, how do you dispute a copyright claim on YouTube?

This is a complete guide for you to dispute a copyright claim on YouTube if you believe it is not legitimate.

Complete Guide on How To Dispute a Copyright Claim on YouTube

You can get a copyright or Content ID claim when your uploaded video contains copyrighted material. Once you get a content ID claim, your video can be blocked, or the copyright owner can claim the revenue from your video.

You have three options when you receive a copyright claim! The first is to accept the claim and remove or edit (trim/replace) the part from the video that contains copyrighted material.

Additionally, if you have legitimate reasons to believe that you have not violated:

• You have the necessary rights to the content (license).
• Content falls under content exception (fair use).
• If there is a misidentification or error on YouTube’s end (original owner).

Then, you can dispute such copyright claims.

Once you dispute the claim, the claimant has 30 days to respond to your dispute. If the claimant rejects your dispute, you can file an appeal. 

Moreover, the Escalate to Appeal feature allows you to appeal directly without the dispute step if your content has been blocked.

To dispute a copyright claim, follow the steps below for YouTube desktop and mobile.

On Desktop

1. Navigate to YouTube Studio and sign in if needed.
2. Select “Content” from the panel on your left.
3. Scroll down to find the video with copyright claim under the “Videos” tab. Alternatively, you can click the “Filter” icon and select “Copyright” from the menu to see all the videos affected by the copyright claims.
4. Hover towards the “Restrictions” column next to the affected video and click “See Details” for more information.
5. Once you enter the video copyright details page, you will see the information on how the claim affected your channel and monetization. It also shows the video part with copyrighted material with the timestamp.
6. Click on the three-dots menu under the “Content identified in this video” and select “Dispute.”
7. Under “Dispute claim,” complete the “Eligibility,” “Reasons,” “Requirements,” and “Rationale” sections and press the “Submit” button to submit the dispute.

On Mobile

1. Launch the YouTube Studio app.
2. Tap “Content.”
3. Find the video with a copyright claim, tap on it, and hit “Restriction.”
4. Select “Review Issues.”
5. Now, tap on the claim and hit “Dispute.”
6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

The claimant will have 30 days to review and respond. They can either release the claim, ignore it (let it expire), sustain it (reinstate it), or even submit a takedown request.

Round Up

YouTube protects the content of every creative creator uploading videos on its platform from unauthorized use with copyright claims.

Your video can get a copyright claim if it uses the copyrighted material from the original owner. However, sometimes, you can get unfair copyright claims.

If you have legitimate reasons to believe that the claimant does not have solid grounds, you can dispute copyright claims using the process we explained.