Avoiding & Addressing YouTube Copyright Strikes

2 min read

Receiving a strike against your YouTube channel has serious consequences if the strike is valid and you can't get it removed. Refer to our Copyright Strike Policy for full details.

What Causes Strikes

Understand how and why YouTube copyright strikes happen:

  1. One of your videos receives a Content ID copyright claim (this is not yet a copyright strike).
  2. You dispute this claim because you believe 100% of your video (both audio and video content) are:
    • Fully owned by you worldwide
    • Or the content is in the public domain (free of any copyright)
    • Or the content falls under fair use
  3. The claimant maintains their claim. YouTube notifies you: accept the claim or remove the content within 7 days.
  4. You neither accept the claim nor remove the content. This results in a copyright strike.

How to Avoid Strikes

To avoid a valid copyright strike, either accept the claim, remove the claimed content (or the entire video), or ensure at least one of these is true:

  • You have a license or documented clearance to use the content as it appears in your video
  • You fully own all aspects of any work featured in your video
  • The copyrighted material was used in a way that strictly meets fair use criteria
  • The work is no longer copyright-protected (is in the public domain)
  • The copyrighted work was incorrectly identified and has not been used in your video

If none of these apply, accept the claim or remove the content. Otherwise you will receive a valid copyright strike and your channel will be unlinked from Hitskope's MCN (and worse if you receive more than 1 valid strike in a 90-day period).

How to Get an Invalid Strike Removed

If at least 1 point above applies, you should be able to get the strike removed and you must do so to maintain your channel under Hitskope's MCN.

You have 20 days to get your strike removed. Any strike active for more than 20 days will be considered permanent.

Here's the procedure:

  1. Complete Copyright School. This is mandatory. YouTube requires it before you can contest a strike.
  2. File a "Counter-Notification" by emailing the required information to YouTube or issuing it via the copyright notices page in your channel's Video Manager.
    • When you file a Counter-Notification (CN), YouTube reviews your case to confirm eligibility, then forwards your notification to the claimant. Check your email to confirm YouTube has accepted your CN. In some cases, they may require that Hitskope send the CN and your CN will not be considered valid.
    • Once your CN is accepted, the claimant has 10 business days to respond with proof they have initiated legal proceedings against you (if they maintain they have rights to the content). Otherwise the video will be reinstated and the strike retracted.
    • For more on Counter-Notifications, review YouTube's resources here.