Today, you’ll find out everything you need know about how to avoid YouTube copyright in 2023.
Copyright rules on YouTube are very strict. However, they also have their weaknesses, which every YouTuber should know.
I’m not going to show you the way how to break them, I’d rather tell you about all the subtleties that will allow you to avoid a huge number of complaints about your content and then a lot of detriment of your own income.
So today, you will learn how to avoid YouTube copyright and monetize any content.
To avoid unnecessary copyright violations, first, you need to understand how it works in general and who makes these complaints.
And there are 2 ways in total; automatic content ID or manual blocking. In addition, there may be complaints about both the video file and the music.
Therefore, now we’ll analyze absolutely all possible combinations so that you have a clear understanding of what content can be monetized.
And let’s start with the simple one. This is content ID.
Table of Contents
What is YouTube Content ID?
Content ID is YouTube’s automatic system for finding repeating content. This system works according to the rule of 8 seconds.
If you use more than 8 seconds of the creator’s editing, then the creator of the video automatically claims on your video.
There is no way to bypass YouTube content ID if you use more than 8 seconds of the creator’s editing, therefore the most correct and easy solution to avoid this is to use not more than 5 to 6 seconds of the original video.
In addition, you can add crop ends of at least 110%. You can mirror these videos or use another color correction filter.
This way, you increase the chance that the content ID will not recognize the match, even if it’s more than 8 seconds.
Therefore, in order to accurately avoid such a complaint, just use no more than 8 seconds in a row of the creator’s editing.
But it’s still risky and it’s better to create your own original B-roll. This system works for both video and audio content, but everything is a little more complicated with music.
With video, everything is clear. You just someone’s regional piece, cut it somehow, crop it, et cetera, but with music, unique melodies are considered no more than 4 notes.
YouTube Content ID Music
That means if you repeat like 3 notes and you have a different 4th one, this content will no longer be claimed automatically. And this is an important point, but we’ll talk about manual claims a little later.
Therefore, if it’s critically important for you to use one particular melody and without it, the context of your video will no longer be the intended one, try to find fan versions of this song and be sure to check if there is a content ID complaint.
And this is quite easy to do. Open any video with music and expand the description. And there will be a window at the bottom that says music from this video.
If there is such a window, then this video has received a copyright claim. If there is no such window, then bingo, everything went well – this cover can be used.
But in order to be sure that you will definitely not receive any complaints about the music, it is better to write to the copyright holder of this remix although, of course, copyright complaints can be expected from him with less probability.
And the easiest way out of this situation with both video and audio is just to use stock footage.
However, if you still need free music, absolutely free. You can go to the YouTube editor and download from the library as many songs as you want, according to any mode.
But if this music does not suit you and you really want to use a particular song, then you can try to modify this composition yourself in some audio editor, for example, to pitch a couple of tones or use a compressor.
But in case of a manual complaint, this will not help you. I mean, you will formally bypass the content ID, but you will still violate YouTube rules, and our goal is still not to violate anything.
You don’t have to use expensive software and effects to make quality YouTube videos.
There are some AI video editing software that were designed to help you create engaging videos that get even more views and are as good as popular creators’ content.
Related article: Best AI video makers
Remove Claimed Content
Let’s say the tips above did not help and you received a content ID complaint though; what to do next.
The simplest thing is if you accidentally use someone else’s footage and context of your video will not be lost because of their absence, just cut out this fragment.
We click on our yellow dollar icon, read more, select actions, and cut out a fragment.
In addition, if you use some background music, then YouTube has improved its algorithm so much that it can cut out a track under your voice, or even put another one. This thing works sometimes better, sometimes worse.
However, if there is already a complaint about the video and you want to get income, it’s better to use it and either cut out with the fragment or replace the track or delete the track totally.
You can delete a track by deleting only the video without the voice, or by deleting the entire audio track with the voice. Of course, deleting the entire audio track with the voice is sometimes critical for certain content so be sure to try using this beta function where YouTube cuts out only the track. It doesn’t always work, however, it’s worth the try.
Dispute a Content ID Claim
And finally, what to do if cutting out the track is not an option, replacing the track is not an option, even the fragment for which you receive the claim is also not an option, then the only option is to dispute a Content ID claim.
By clicking the dispute button, you should understand that you are already moving to the battlefield with real people, with YouTube moderators and the copyright holder of this content.
And now we’ll figure out how to dispute your claim in which case it may work, and in which case it definitely does not. Now, it is very important to understand that if you bought a copy of a Billie Eilish song on iTunes, this does not give you the right to use it in your video.
Therefore, the existing copy of the video or song is not an argument for you to have this claim canceled. If you don’t monetize content, it also doesn’t give you the right to use someone else’s video or track so this one doesn’t work either.
And even if you mention the creator in the video itself or in the description, this is also not an excuse from the claim, from the complaint. The question arises, what is a normal argument then?
That’s what you’re going to find out right now.
Check this box, “my dispute isn’t based on any of the reasons above, I would still like to dispute this content ID claim,”
Next, click “next” and choose the reason YouTube offers us to choose.
This is probably the original content. That is like, maybe someone has uploaded your video to the content ID, somehow stole it from you, uploaded it to content ID, and now you will need to dispute it.
Yes, this is a very complicated process, it is unlikely that this happens and someone needs it.
Probably this is not our case. License is when you have a subscription to some service, but this service accidentally did not put you on the list.
Therefore, in this case, if you have a purchased license, just click license and scroll further, and your monetization will be returned to you.
And the next point is copyright exceptions such as fair use. What does fair use mean?
In fact, this is exactly the thin line walking along, which you can monetize almost everything. Fair use is again the use of less than 8 seconds of the original video or the original track where you use this for either in a critical or humorous context.
In some countries, it might be easier to dispute the humorous context: joking about something, inserting some scene from a movie in the form of some kind of a meme. It is possible and most likely the copyright holder will not bother you with his complaints.
And we will choose fair use of content because this is most likely the way to dispute something if you are claimed.
Click next, choose the reason, and here is a whole list.
This is a promotional video, a mashup, a reaction video, a dance video, an educational video, entertainment video, gameplay, and so on and so forth.
It is a huge list of content types that in general can be monetized.
And you can defend your rights, but for some reason, YouTubers do not do this. That means all of this is quite a fair use of content.
But more often, music is the most difficult. But if you already made a response claim, monetization will be automatically returned to you, and then YouTube will be able to take away this monetization from you only by a court decision.
Roughly speaking, if you are sure that you are using this content in good faith, then you can go through all this form, select the appropriate point, choose the reason and describe your situation in details.
Send it to YouTube, then YouTube will not have any authority to take away monetization from you and monetize your video in favor of the copyright holder of any song or a piece of a video that is used there.
Further, YouTube only transfers information between the parties, between you and the copyright holder of this content.
And in fact, YouTube can take away monetization from you only by a court decision, therefore, if you are sure that you are right in what you’re doing if you are right that you are using this content in good faith, and you are sure that it is very unlikely that the copyright holder will sue you because it is so long and difficult.
Then just fill out this form, select the desired point and send a reply with your signature.
After that, monetization will be returned to you until the end of all this dispute.
The Copyright Claim on Your Video Was Released
And finally, the last point is monetization. It may seem to someone that if you didn’t break any rules, you didn’t have any copyright claims, you will easily get the monetization on and will monetize everything, bypassing the automatic content ID.
Now, unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Formally, when you comply with all the above rules, you comply with the content ID which means you do not allow the claiming of your videos.
However, when you submit an application for monetization, your channel is already viewed by a real person who can conclude whether your channel is worth for monetization or not.
But the question arises, why did he make such a choice?
And here the most important thing is, on YouTube, any content that you have will definitely be monetized with any creator’s commentary or some additional creative idea.
And it is important to understand that this is necessary only for those who work with faceless YouTube videos.
Even if you just cut stock videos with stock music titles like “10 hours of relaxing music”, you still won’t get monetization.
Yes, I’m probably very much upset with all those who shot a bunch of tutorials on such content.
Yes, but this kind of content will not be monetized.
And here comes up the question, what kind of creator’s commentary should I add?
And there can be an infinite number of options. You can come up with, for example, a character on whose behalf your content will be narrated.
Well, for example, you don’t just have “10 hours of video for sleeping” with stock footage, but for example, some character in the form of a toy cat holds some kind of a frame that imitates some monitor and the video itself is being played there.
Here you have an additional context, here you have creators’ commentary, here you have a creative idea. Well, just for example.
Pro Tip: Add Aditional Context
Either Android gamers, what you can do; a very cool life hack. You need, for example, to add some additional challenges. For example, pro versus new versus hacker versus God.
Add some kind of a challenge to your game because if you upload recordings of some gameplay, it will most likely not be monetized because these are the videos without additional context.
But if you plan a scenario that you have something here first, then a new, then a hacker, and also accompany it with some kind of offscreen commentary and some kind of sound design pieces in the style of “oops” or “Oh my God.”
Add some memes, this content can be monetized. Come up with some images, come up with how to break the fourth walls so that either with some graphics or some challenges, add something that will make the video only yours.
Avoiding YouTube Copyright Final Words
So this is how to avoid YouTube copyright in 2022.
And when you follow all the rules listed above in this guide, add some creator’s commentary and a new context in your video, you will never have problems with copyright.
You will always be able to protect your rights and monetize any videos on YouTube.
