Youtube is a video sharing platform where millions of videos of different genre are posted daily. This makes it a center for copyright infringement.
So, if you are planning to start a youtube channel and want to upload videos on Youtube then this article is for you. In this article, we have explained how you can avoid copyright infringement on youtube. But before that let us understand what is Youtube’s copyright policy.
Introduction to Youtube’s copyright policy:
Youtube’s copyright policy states that you can only upload, music, videos, etc. that you created or are authorized to use. If you use any content that you are not authorized to use then you can get copyright infringement. Also, the copyright owner can submit a request to take down your video.
The copyright law that youtube uses is created by the court to protect the original work of authorship so it must be followed.
To protect the copyright owners, Youtube has a system called Content ID to help the copyright owners to manage their content. How it works is it assigns a unique ID to each video that is uploaded on Youtube. So, when someone uploads a new video Youtube scans the whole video and cross-checks with the previously uploaded videos. If it finds any copyrighted content it gives the owner the following options
- Mute audio that matches their music.
- Block a whole video from being viewed.
- Monetize the video by running ads against it.
- Track the video’s viewership statistics.
This aware the copyright owners of the potential infringement of their work.
Why you should avoid copyright infringement on Youtube?
Copyright infringement is a civil, as well as a criminal offense, and one getting a copyright strike, can face real trouble: The civil penalties can fine you up to $150,000 per instance of work, and the criminal penalties up to can fine you up to $250,000 per offense and up to 5 years of jail.
Since the copyright laws are very strict and the penalties are very high we should avoid getting any copyright strikes in any case. But you may wonder how to avoid copyright infringement on your video. And below are few solutions to avoid them
Related: How to reverse a Youtube playlist
How to avoid copyright claims on Youtube:
Now that we have seen that using copyright content owner can get your video removed from Youtube. And also you won’t be able to monetize that video. So, it is better to avoid getting copyrighted. Here are a few tips to avoid it.
#1 Use the videos provided by Youtube:
Youtube provides some videos that can be used by the users in their videos. These videos are provided under the Creative Common License. So, rather than using any other videos that come under copyright use the videos provided by Youtube to prevent copyright.
Youtube also provides music that you can use in your video. The music is provided by youtube so there is no fear of copyright. The music or sound provided by youtube can be used to put background music to your video. It is the most common usage of it.
#2 Ask the owner:
If you have found a perfect video to include in your video but the video is under copyright. Then another thing that you can try is to ask the owner of the video. You can reach out to him by any means and if he agrees then you can use the video. Otherwise, he might put a copyright claim and that can penalize your video. Also, youtube copyright laws are very strict, the penalty imposed by youtube can be demonetization of the video or ban on the channel(if repeated offense)
#3 Give credits to the owner:
Another way to avoid Youtube copyright is to give credits to the owner. If you are using copyright content then write”I claim no rights to the audio/video” and mention the name of the owner in the video description or any place possible that should highlight it.
If you give credits to the owner then there are chances that the owner would not put copyright claims on your video. Though this method works sometimes it is not recommended as the success ratio of this trick is very low.
#4 Edit, modify, and use:
If you want to use copyright content it is better just edit the original and modify it to something else. For eg: If you are using copyrighted music then add some bass, and other effects or make a mashup, etc.
There are many cases where people have saved themselves from copyright strikes by just editing the original contents. So, just modify and use, and also this method has a much more success ratio than any other tricks.
For eg: If you want to use music that is copyright protected, just add few sounds effects to the audio. In this way, you can avoid the youtube music copyright strike because you created something unique which is different from the original. And the best part you can copyright the music that you edited as it is your own unique music content.
$5 Use neosounds to buy music:
If you want to use particular music in your video whose rights are protected then you can use neosounds.com to avoid music copyright on Youtube.
To use it create an account on neosounds and buy the music that you want to use. It gives you the proper rights to the song if you buy it.
In most cases when people buy music from some other platforms and use it on Youtube they get copyright strikes on their video. But it does not happen with neosounds because it gives you a proper invoice. You can download it from your accounts download center.
However, just buying the song from neosounds does not help you counter copyright strikes on youtube. For that, you need to upload the license document on free file sharing systems like Google Drive or Dropbox and keep it public. Then you need to paste the link of your License on the caption of the video so that the owner can see that you have taken proper rights before using the music.
#6 Create your unique content:
The simplest and the hardest way to completely avoid copyright on a youtube video is to create your unique content. Rather than using the content of different people and being in the fear of getting a copyright strike. Create something new and unique that hasn’t been created.
Creating new content releases you from the fear of getting copyright strikes on your video and also the users are looking for something interesting and unique on Youtube. So, if your content is unique and informative and the users are satisfied after watching your video then you might earn a subscriber. In this way, your engagement would increase and your channel will grow.
Hence, we can come to the conclusion that creating your own content has a lot of benefits to you and your youtube channel.
FAQ:
Q: How to edit a video to avoid copyright?
A: You can use the Youtube studio or any other open-source/paid video editing software.
Q: How to use copyrighted music on Youtube legally in 2021?
A: You can either edit the music and use it or buy the music from neosounds.com to use the copyrighted music on Youtube.
Q: What to write in the description on Youtube for tackling copyright infringement?
A: The proper description on Youtube for copyright would be to mention the name of the owner whose content you are using and also mention that you are not the copyright holder of the content and you hold no legal rights to use it.
Q: Is the youtube copyright rule strict?
A: Yes, youtube focuses on the protection of one’s content. So, you must take proper rights before using copyrighted music, video, or any other content from the platform.
Conclusion:
Getting a copyright strike can cause huge damage to your video as well as the channel. So, it’s better to create your unique content. However, if you want to learn how you can avoid copyright strikes on your youtube video for using copyright content please read the above article.
