How to Report Copyright Infringement on YouTube

Common Mistakes That Delay This Process

The most common mix-up is treating a Content ID claim and a copyright removal request as the same thing. They are separate systems and neither substitutes for the other. The second is submitting a channel or playlist link, which YouTube will not accept. Each video needs its own direct URL. The third is skipping the fair use question. YouTube may ask you to confirm you considered fair use or another copyright exception. Without a sufficient answer the request may be treated as invalid.

What Happens After You File

YouTube reviews each request to confirm it contains the information copyright law requires and appears valid. If something is missing, YouTube contacts you, for example to ask for a more specific title of your work, proof that you are authorized to act for the owner or confirmation that you considered fair use. The video may stay up until YouTube has everything it needs. You can track your requests in YouTube Studio under Content detection, then Removal requests.

Know what gets shared before you file. If the video is removed, the copyright owner's name appears on YouTube in place of the video. The uploader can request a copy of your request, which includes your full legal name, your email address and your description of the work. YouTube keeps your physical address and phone number confidential unless they are required as part of a lawsuit. If sharing your details is a concern, an authorized representative such as an attorney can file for you.

If Your Video Got a Copyright Strike: Retraction, Counter Notification or Waiting It Out

If you are on the receiving end, YouTube lists three ways to resolve a copyright strike.

Wait 90 days after Copyright School. Complete Copyright School (four questions, completed once) and the strike expires 90 days after it was applied, as long as the channel has fewer than three strikes.

Ask for a retraction. Contact the person who filed and ask them to retract the removal request. If the request was scheduled, deleting the video within the 7-day window also avoids the strike. After that, deleting it does not resolve anything.

File a counter notification. Use this only if the removal was a mistake or misidentification, which includes cases of fair use. For videos, file in YouTube Studio from the removed video's copyright details. Otherwise send it to copyright@youtube.com. YouTube's counter notification page requires your full legal name, physical address, phone number, an explanation of why the removal was a mistake, consent to federal court jurisdiction and a statement under penalty of perjury. It is forwarded to the claimant, who then has 10 US business days to respond with evidence of legal action. If they do not, YouTube reinstates the content.

Strikes, Termination and Repeat Infringement

Each valid removal request applies one copyright strike to the uploader's channel. A video can carry only one copyright strike at a time. A strike expires after 90 days once the uploader completes Copyright School. A channel with three copyright strikes in 90 days is subject to termination. If that happens, the account and any linked channels can be terminated, the channel's content becomes inaccessible and the owner cannot create new YouTube channels. A live stream removed for copyright also restricts live streaming for 7 days, or 14 days on a second strike. If the same channel keeps reposting your work, file a new removal request for each upload.