Contact information in copyright removal requests

Certain personal information is required when you submit a copyright removal request through our webform.

How your information is used

  • If a video is removed for copyright infringement, the name of the copyright owner will be visible on YouTube in place of the video.
    • If you give us a valid legal alternative, such as the name of a company or authorized representative, we'll review and apply it if appropriate.
    • The copyright owner name you enter will become part of the public record of your request. Learn more about the public record of your removal request.
  • Your full legal name is required to complete a copyright removal request. It may be shared with the uploader of the video removed for copyright infringement.
  • Your primary email address from your removal request may be shared with the uploader of the video removed for copyright infringement. The uploader might get in touch with you to resolve their associated copyright strike.
  • Your physical address and phone number will remain confidential unless requested as part of a lawsuit. If YouTube is required to share any information, we’ll notify you before doing so.
  • The description of the allegedly infringed work will be shared with the uploader of the video removed for copyright infringement so that they understand why their video was removed. 

Public record of removal requests

The uploader of the infringing video can request a copy of your removal request. The info shown in this public record includes:

  • Name of copyright owner
  • Primary email address
  • Secondary email address (an optional field in the webform)
  • Your full legal name
  • Your description of the allegedly infringing work
  • Your responses to YouTube's requests for more information. YouTube will request more information if your initial removal request is incomplete or appears invalid.

Concerns about sharing contact information

If you're concerned someone is harassing you on YouTube, you might want to learn more about reporting harassment and cyberbullying instead of copyright infringement.

Although concerns about harassment and copyright infringement sometimes overlap, the copyright removal request process may not be the best option in these cases. You also might want to learn more about copyright exceptions like fair use before submitting a copyright removal request.

Keep in mind that an authorized representative (such as an attorney) can submit a copyright removal request on behalf of a copyright owner. The authorized representative must use their own YouTube account to submit the request. Also, they need to specify their relationship to the copyright owner in the removal request.

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