How to Solve Copyright Issues on YouTube

Copyright owners are very careful and vigilant when it comes to protecting their material. There are a lot of internet services that help them do that, and YouTube "Content ID" is one of these services. So if you upload a video on YouTube and get a copyright notice (copyright claim), you are dealing with the system. YouTube Content ID was developed to help content owners (composers and others, publishers in our case) and their distributors to identify, monitor, and monetize use of their music on YouTube.

Why might you receive a copyright notice or get a claim on your video?

YouTube scans uploaded videos against a database of audio and video content submitted to the Content ID system by copyright owners. If any content in an uploaded video (music in our case) matches content from the database, YouTube sends a copyright notice indicating that third party content has been identified on the video. In this event there are several scenarios that may occur:

• The video can be blocked or removed.
• Audio can be muted.
• A third-party Ad can be run over the video (this is the most common action) to monetize the content used in the video and compensate the content owners for the use of their content.

This does not necessarily mean that you are doing something wrong. There are a lot of cases when the Content ID system matches content which is similar to, but not actually the same content. This happens especially often with classical music. Also, there are a lot of cases when several different companies representing the same artist or copyright owner claim copyrights on the same content simply in order to greedily take as much compensation as possible. Authors might not even know that their content was uploaded to the Content ID system. So it depends on the situation.

In any case, if you have a license (or permission to use the music) you do not have to worry at all. You only need to follow the simple instructions below to resolve the copyright issue.

Do you have a license (permission to use the music), and did your video still get a copyright claim?

This is a very common case as well. This may happen even if you have obtained a license from a music licensing company, purchased music on a royalty-free music website, or gotten permission directly from the copyright owner. Videos may still get copyright claims, and you may receive copyright notices. Why?

Unfortunately, the Content ID system (like many of the copyright claimants on YouTube) does not have extrasensory perception and cannot automatically detect, or otherwise learn, whether you have a license (the rights to use the music) or not. The system likewise cannot learn by itself what kind of rights you may have been granted. For instance, it does not know whether you have the rights to use the music as background audio, the rights to use it for commercial or business purposes, the rights to monetize the video on YouTube, etc.

There is also no direct way for a music licensing company, or a website you purchased music from (rather, a license to use the music), to automatically exchange information with Content ID system. So claimants cannot automatically be notified as to the fact that you have purchased a license, and that you have the proper rights to use the music. So you will always need to be able to dispute a copyright claim on YouTube, and to provide the claimant with a confirmation showing that you can legitimately use the music as you have.

What do I need to solve copyright issues on YouTube?

You need some kind of proof confirming your rights to use the music (permission form copyright owners, their distributors, music licensing companies etc.). This might be a copy of your license agreement. You may not have a “paper” license agreement if you purchased a license online. In that case, you should provide a direct link to the license terms and conditions on that website, and a direct link to the song you purchased. Without that information it would be difficult to win a copyright dispute on YouTube.

Nowadays it’s very simply to purchase a required license online in minutes, as there are a lot of royalty-free music websites. Here at NeoSounds.com we offer only premium royalty-free music, and we have a very simple music licensing solution. With each purchased song, you get an official license document (a PDF license certificate) that can readily help you fix a copyright problem on YouTube should you have one.

This document includes all the required information that claimants will want to see, such as the name of the person to whom the license was issued, the titles of the purchased songs, the names of all authors and publishers, an original link to the song on the website, and detailed license terms and conditions confirming the scope of the rights you have been granted.

How to dispute a copyright (Content ID) claim on YouTube:

NeoSounds has long-standing relationships with artists, distributors, and Content ID partners on YouTube, helping make license verification and claim resolution straightforward.

Step 1. Locate your license information

Depending on your license type, use one of the following:

• Single Track License: Download your License Agreement (PDF) from My files and licenses page for the relevant track. The License Agreement contains all information required to verify your license, including track details, author information, license holder information, and the applicable license terms.

• Subscription Plan: Copy the license verification link from your Download History by opening the context menu next to the relevant download and clicking "Verification Link". A license verification link is a unique link included with every download. It provides real-time license validation and contains only the information necessary to verify your license and resolve copyright claims. It can be shared with platforms, clients, or rights holders as proof that the track was downloaded during an active subscription.

Step 2. Open the claim details in YouTube

In YouTube Studio, locate the affected video and open the copyright claim details. Start the dispute process by selecting the option indicating that you have permission or a valid license to use the music.

Step 3. Provide proof of your license

When asked to explain your dispute, include a brief explanation and your license documentation.

Example:

A license to use this music was obtained from NeoSounds.
License verification:

[Paste your license verification link or link to your License Agreement here]

If you are using a PDF License Agreement, upload it to a file-sharing service such as Google Drive or Dropbox and include a publicly accessible link.

Step 4. Submit the dispute

Submit your dispute and wait for the review process to be completed. Most claims are resolved within a few hours to a few business days, although YouTube allows claimants up to 30 days to review a dispute if additional time is needed.

Helpful Tip

Many creators upload videos as Unlisted first, allowing any copyright claims to be resolved before publishing the video publicly.