What is copyright?

• Audiovisual works, such as TV shows, movies, and online videos
• Sound recordings and musical compositions
• Written works, such as lectures, articles, books, and musical compositions
• Visual works, such as paintings, posters, and advertisements
• Video games and computer software
• Dramatic works, such as plays and musicals

Ideas, facts, and processes are not subject to copyright. According to copyright law, in order to be eligible for copyright protection, a work must be creative and it must be fixed in a tangible medium. Names and titles are not, by themselves, subject to copyright.

It’s possible to use copyright-protected content without infringing, such as in cases of copyright exceptions, like fair use and fair dealing, or by getting permission to use someone else's content.

If you're thinking of using someone else's music in your video, learn more about your options for using music:

Also, some content creators choose to make their work available for reuse with certain requirements called a Creative Commons license.

No. YouTube isn’t able to mediate rights ownership disputes. When we receive a complete and valid copyright removal request, we remove the content as the law requires. When we receive a valid counter notification, we forward it to the person who requested the removal. After this, it’s up to the parties involved to resolve the issue in court.

No. Copyright is just one form of intellectual property. It's not the same as trademark, which protects brand names, mottos, logos, and other source identifiers from being used by others for certain purposes. Copyright is also different from patent law, which protects inventions.

YouTube offers a separate removal process for videos that violate trademark or other laws.

Just because you appear in a video, image, or audio recording does not mean you own the copyright to it. For example, if your friend filmed a conversation between the two of you, they would own the copyright to that video recording. The words the two of you are speaking are not subject to copyright separately from the video itself, unless they were fixed in advance.

If your friend, or someone else, uploaded a video, image, or recording of you without your permission and you feel it violates your privacy or safety, you may look into filing a privacy complaint.

Any amount of copyright-protected content used without permission from the copyright owner(s), even if it’s just a few seconds, may result in your video getting a copyright claim. If you believe your use of the content qualifies as a copyright exception, such as fair use or fair dealing, keep in mind that only Courts can make that determination.