Copyright, music and strikes without fear

Three different things

Most fear about copyright comes from mixing up three different things. Once you can tell them apart, each one is easier to handle calmly.

YouTube treats these as three separate things [s1,s2,s3]:

A claim is not a strike, unless you dispute carelessly

You will not get a copyright strike just because a video has an active claim ^[1].

But if you dispute a claim without a valid reason, the owner may ask YouTube to remove your video. If that removal request is valid, your channel gets a copyright strike ^[1].

No magic words

Fair use is an idea from US copyright law. In some cases, such as commentary, criticism, teaching or news reporting, it lets someone use copyrighted content without permission. Only courts decide it, one case at a time ^[4].

Giving credit does not by itself turn a copy into fair use. Lines like "all rights go to the author", "I do not own" or "no infringement intended" do not protect you, and calling a video "for entertainment purposes only" is unlikely to help ^[4].

Even a few seconds of a popular song can bring a claim that stops you from monetising that video, which means earning money from ads on it ^[4].

Content ID cannot decide fair use. Other countries have their own rules, and some use an idea called fair dealing that may work differently ^[4].

This lesson does not explain India's copyright law, and it is not legal advice. If you really need to use someone else's work, speak to a qualified lawyer first.

A simple habit: film songs, cricket match clips, TV serial scenes and news channel footage belong to someone else. If you did not make it and you have no permission, leave it out.

Music that is safe

Music and sound effects from the Audio Library in YouTube Studio are copyright-safe. Tracks downloaded from it will not be claimed through Content ID, and members of the YouTube Partner Program can monetise videos that use them ^[5].

To find it, sign in to YouTube Studio and select Audio Library from the left menu ^[5].

Use the filters to narrow the list, play a few tracks, and save the ones that fit your channel so you can find them again.

YouTube says only Audio Library music and sound effects are known to it to be copyright-safe. It is not responsible for problems with "royalty-free" music from other YouTube channels or music libraries ^[5].

Videos called "no copyright music" on other channels are a common trap for new creators. When in doubt, use the Audio Library. If your Studio app does not show the Audio Library, open Studio on a computer.

If a claim arrives, pick a fix

To check for claims on a computer, open YouTube Studio, select Content and look at the Restrictions column for any copyright claim.

If you think a claim is valid, you can leave it, or remove the claimed content without uploading a new video. If a removal works, the claim is removed automatically ^[1]. Your choices:

No computer? Note which video has the claim, and make the fix later on a computer you trust. Sign out when you finish.

Disputes are not a gamble

YouTube gives examples of valid reasons to dispute a claim: you have all the rights you need, your use fits a copyright exception such as fair use, or the match was a mistake ^[6].

These are not valid reasons: giving credit to the owner, owning a copy of the song or video, or choosing not to monetise the video ^[6].

After you dispute, the claimant (whoever claimed your video) has 30 days to respond. If they do not respond in time, the claim expires. If they believe the claim is still valid, they can send a copyright removal request. If that request is valid, your video is removed and your channel gets a copyright strike ^[6].

Before you dispute, ask yourself one question: can I show that I have the rights? If the honest answer is no, choose one of the other fixes.

If you get a copyright strike

A copyright strike expires after 90 days only if you complete Copyright School. Copyright School is 4 questions about how copyright works on YouTube, and you only do it once. If you do not complete it, the strike stays active on your channel ^[2].

Channels that get 3 copyright strikes in 90 days can be terminated, which means removed. If a channel linked to yours has 3 active copyright strikes, your channel can be terminated too ^[2].

YouTube lists three ways to resolve a copyright strike ^[2]:

Deleting does not fix a copyright strike

In almost every case, deleting the video does not resolve a copyright strike. The one exception is explained in More detail below ^[2].

A counter notification is a legal step. Use it only if you truly believe the removal was a mistake, and speak to a qualified lawyer if you are unsure.

Community Guidelines: a warning comes first

YouTube's Community Guidelines apply to everything you post, including private and unlisted videos, comments, links, posts and thumbnails ^[3].

A first violation is usually only a warning. For many warnings you can take a short, optional policy training. If you complete it, the warning expires 90 days after you finish the training. If you break the same policy again in that time, the warning does not expire and your channel gets a strike ^[3].

After that, strikes follow a ladder ^[3]:

How Community Guidelines strikes end

Each Community Guidelines strike expires 90 days after it was issued. Deleting the video does not remove a strike, and YouTube may even give a strike for content you have already deleted ^[3].

If you live stream: YouTube's Help pages describe the live streaming limit after a strike in slightly different ways. If it happens to you, check the exact limit in the strike email and in YouTube Studio.

Appeals: calmly, once, and in time

If you think YouTube made a mistake, you can appeal a warning or strike for up to 6 months after it was issued. Each strike can be appealed only once, and there is no extra penalty if your appeal is rejected ^[7].

Start the appeal from YouTube Studio. It is easiest on a computer.

No computer? Do the appeal on a computer you trust well inside the 6 months, and sign out when you finish. Until then, leave the video up.

Do not delete the video first. If you delete it, the strike stays on your channel and you cannot appeal again ^[7].

Before you appeal, read the policy the strike names. Then write your reason in a few clear, polite sentences: what the video shows, and why you think it follows the rule.

Recall from lesson 8: claims on Shorts

As lesson 8 explained, a claimed Short over one minute is blocked until the claim is resolved, with no channel penalty ^[8]. Fix it with the choices above.

After you fix a claim, open the Short in the Content list in Studio and check that the restriction has gone.

More detail: Creative Commons credit and scheduled removal requests

Some Audio Library tracks have a Creative Commons licence. For these, you must credit the artist in your video's description ^[5].

Check each track's licence in the Audio Library before you use it. If a track needs credit, paste the credit text into your description before you publish.

If a copyright removal request was "scheduled", you have 7 days to delete the video and avoid the copyright strike. In all other cases, deleting a video does not resolve a copyright strike ^[2].