How To Remove YouTube Copyright Claims

How to remove youtube copyright claims

Got a copyright claim for using our music on YouTube?

Don’t panic! This is NOT a copyright strike and your channel is not penalized by YouTube.

The claim is only a notification to let you know that your video contains copyrighted music.

As a TunePocket member you have the perpetual royalty free license to use our music in your YouTube videos (including promotional and monetized videos).

If you’re monetizing, YouTube will credit back any advertisement revenue you missed once the claim is removed.

Want to remove the claim? We can certainly help!

Why I got the claim?

There may be different reasons for the claim:

1. You’re using a protected music track (easy to resolve)

Some of our composers opted to protect their music from unauthorized use by registering it in YouTube’s Content ID system. Learn how to tell which tracks are protected.

These claims can be typically removed within 48h. In some cases, your channel can be whitelisted to reduce the number of repeated claims.

2. YouTube matched the wrong songs (technical glitch)

YouTube is using a complex algorithm to match uploaded videos against their database of protected content. Unfortunately, every now and then the algorithm makes a mistake and matches the wrong (albeit similar) songs.

3. False claim from non-Authorized claimant (rare)

Occasionally, a song gets stolen and uploaded to Content ID (often under a different title) without the authorization from the proper copyright owner.

Learn more about how to spot and dispute false copyright claims on YouTube.

How to remove the claim

Before we explain how you can remove copyright claims, it is important to know who issued the claim.

Step 1: Find out who issued the claim

Login to YouTube studio and navigate to the video with the claim. It’s easy to spot, it will say “Copyright claim” in the Restrictions column.

Hover your mouse (or click) on the “Copyright claim” notice and you will see a pop-up dialogue like this:

find out copyright claim details

Click on the “See Details” link to see the claim info:

copyright claim details example

Here you can identify the person or the company that issued the claim.

UPDATE: YouTube has recently updated the copyright details screen.

Now you need to hover over the “Impact on the video” column, in order to see further details:

copyright claimant details

Step 2a: For HAAWK and AdRev claims

We only use two companies, HAAWK (Identifyy) and AdRev to protect our content.

If the “Copyright owners” section of the claim mentions either HAAWK or AdRev AND the music track title matches the song name you’re using, please follow these steps:

Go to your download history, find the music track referenced in the claim, and download the licensing certificate for the music track.

For AdRev (now part of FUGA) claims send an email to cid@adrev.net or ugc@fuga.com.

For HAAWK claims send an email to support@identifyy.com.

Include the link to your video and mention that you have the license to use the music and attach the license certificate as the proof of licensing.

Most claims get resolved within 48h. Please note this may take longer around the weekends and holidays.

Alternatively, you can dispute the claim directly via YouTube.

To dispute the claim via YouTube follow these steps:

Step 1: On the claims details page, under “Actions” click the Dispute link:

dispute youtube claim

Step 2: Specify that you have the written permission from the copyright owner to use the music:

license to use music on youtube

Step 3: Acknowledge that you do have proper license and want to dispute the claim:

acknowledge license

Step 4: “Licensing” is the most important field and YouTube will base their decision based on the information you provide there. Copy and paste your licensing certificate here:

licensing certificate

Type your full name to serve as the electronic signature and submit the dispute. Keep in mind that disputes may take few days to get resolved.

Step 2b: For all other claims

If the claim is coming from any other company or individual or the music tracks title do no match, please contact us.

Please include the link to your video, the title of the music track you’re using, and the screenshot of the claim.

Frequently asked questions about YouTube copyright claims

How copyright claims affect your videos

Here’s what a typical copyright claim notice looks like:

youtube copyright claim notice

Most importantly:

This is NOT a copyright strike! Your video remains fully accessible and your account is NOT penalized!

If you’re not monetizing and don’t mind occasional ads, you can simply ignore the notice.

Related: YouTube Copyright: The Ultimate Guide

How can I tell which tracks are protected by Content ID?

Even though resolving the claims is usually a fast and simple process, we understand that sometimes you might want to avoid dealing with claims altogether. You can easily tell if a particular track is registered with Content ID by checking the track details:

adrev music track

Furthermore, you can filter out all Content ID registered tracks from the search results by using the ‘No Content ID’ filter in the sidebar.

If you received a claim for using a music track labelled as ‘no Content ID’ please let us know.

Related: Non copyrighted music for YouTube, Twitch, Instagram

Can I clear the claim BEFORE publishing my video?

Even though the claims do no penalize your channel, there may be cases when you need to clear the claims before the video goes public. Here’s what you can do.

Upload your video but keep it “Unlisted”, clear the claims as described above, and then change the status of your video to “Published”.

Can you whitelist my channel?

Yes, we can request your channel whitelisted. If you use Content ID protected music, this will help to bring down the number of claims you need to resolve manually.

However, whitelisting won’t protect against wrong matches and false claims. Please report all questionable claims to support!

Why music composers use Content ID?

Hundreds of hours of new video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Not surprisingly, many of these videos contain unlicensed background music. We understand that dealing with the claims is inconvenient, however we also respect our composers right to protect their work.

You may be surprised but for a YouTuber (especially if you monetize your channel) it is often much safer to use Content ID protected music with the license.

You can read more in this post by one of our staff composers:

How AdRev Copyright Claims Protect Royalty Free Music Buyers From Fraud

Did your video get muted on Facebook for using copyrighted music?

Learn how to fix “Your video is partially muted” issue on Facebook

What can I do if my live stream is interrupted due to copyright claim?

In short, ask copyright owner (or your music provider) to whitelist your channel.

We published a handy guide that explains in details how to prevent copyright on YouTube live streams.

Need help resolving the claim?

Please contact us. We are happy to help!

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