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What do I do if I receive a copyright claim?

What do I do if I receive a copyright claim?

in Articles on June 24, 2020

If you get a copyright claim (on YouTube or elsewhere), it is nothing to panic over. It rarely happens. On the off chance that you do receive one, it doesn’t mean a strike has been created against you or your channel. Also, there is an easy (and quick) way to resolve this.

If this music is royalty-free, why would I get a copyright claim?

Just to be clear, this rarely ever happens! Usually claims result from an automated content identification service flagging your creation as potentially containing copyrighted material. This could be a mistake or it could also be the result of someone (who is using my music) submitting their creation to a ContentID service. This could possibly create a false copyright claim, since both projects are using the same music. For this reason, I do not allow my customers to submit my music to content identification services (such as ContentID). It is very rare that this happens, but every once and a while it does happen. Rest assured, these music tracks are all my own unique compositions and you have every right to use them after purchasing.

What does this mean for my project?

Don’t worry! Receiving a copyright claim is not the same as a copyright strike and does not affect your account or YouTube channel. The only thing that may happen at this point is that ads may be displayed on your video and the revenue will go to the suspected copyright holder if you don’t resolve the claim. While this rarely happens, there is an easy way to fix it so you can quickly remove those ads and monetize the video yourself.

So how do I fix it?

The solution is easy, fast, and works almost every time! If you get a copyright claim on YouTube, you should do the following:

  1. Log into your account and navigate to YouTube Studio.
  2. Find the notification of the copyright claim (Usually under Videos > Restrictions > Copyright claim.
  3. Click SEE DETAILS
  4. Click SELECT ACTIONS > Dispute
  5. Find and select the option that states that you have a license or permission from the proper rights holder to use this material.
  6. In the section where you can provide more information enter something similar to the following: “Hello. The music in my video is royalty-free and I have purchased a license to use it. Please release the copyright claim as I have permission from the copyright-holder to use this content in my video. Thank you!”
  7. Complete and submit the dispute.
  8. Wait for the dispute to be released.
  9. You’re done!

Disputing the claim is a very quick process and usually results in the claim being released within the same day. That has been my experience, at least. Regardless, give it a few days before taking further action.

If you receive a copyright claim on another platform other than YouTube, you should follow similar steps using whatever service they have available.

What if disputing doesn’t work?

Usually the claim is released quickly without any issues, but if your dispute is rejected you will have to contact the company making the claim to prove that you have rights to use the music. The most common copyright identification company is AdRev, so I will explain how to contact them to request a release of the claim.

  1. Download your PDF Invoice/License Certificate that was included in your purchase receipt (email me if you did not receive this).
  2. Go to adrev.net/contact-us
  3. Fill out the form and attach the PDF downloaded in step 1.
  4. Make sure to select the option “To have a claim released (attach license)”.
  5. Provide a kind explanation of the situation, stating that you purchased the royalty-free music and have permission to use it.
  6. Wait for the claim to be released.

If the claimant is not AdRev, find their website and contact them in the same way (providing proof of the license).

This is a last resort and will hopefully never need to happen. If for some reason, they still refuse, please email me at info@indiemusicbox.com. I will do my best to help you, but please be advised that it is up to the other party to release the claim. I do everything I can to prevent this from happening, but it is unfortunately one of the risks of using royalty-free music.

Note: Please only email me if you are a customer using music legally obtained from this website. I can’t help you if you are using music obtained elsewhere.

Is there a way to clear copyright claims before making my video live?

If you are nervous about posting your video and receiving a copyright claim, you can first publish the video as “Unlisted” and wait to see if you receive a copyright claim. After resolving the claim, you can then switch your video to “Published”. This should prevent you from going through the process after you publish your video.

Ready to start your project?

Hopefully this relieves some worry about copyright claims. While I have no control over when copyright claims are created, there is a very simple process to release claims and it usually works without any further issues. It is a rare problem, but sometimes comes up when using widely-licensed royalty-free music. If you’d like to start working on your project and are ready to get some music, browse my archive to find what you’re looking for!

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