What is a manual claim?

A manual claim is sent to you when a copyright owner identifies that their content has been used without their permission. Copyright owners use the manual claiming tool to claim your video, which sends you a manual claim.

Note: A manual claim is different from an automated Content ID claim. A Content ID claim is generated when an uploaded video matches another video (or part of another video) in our Content ID system.

The manual claiming tool is used by copyright owners who demonstrate advanced knowledge of our Content ID system. The tool gives copyright owners a way to manually claim videos not matched by the Content ID system. Manual claims must include accurate timestamps to show exactly where the claimed content is in your video.

Copyright owners can't use the manual claiming tool for any other purpose. Improperly claiming content that they don't own the rights to can result in penalties including legal liability and partnership termination.

How do I know if my video has a manual claim?

When a copyright owner claims your video, you'll get an email from YouTube. To find more details about the claims on your videos:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left menu, select Content.
3. In the Restrictions column, if a video has a claim on it, it will be labelled Copyright claim.
4. Hover over Copyright claim and click SEE DETAILS to get more info about the claim.
5. Click the down arrow  to expand the claim details. Under the video player, it will say 'Content manually identified by claimant' if it's a manual claim.
6. Under the Content found during section, click the timestamp to play the segment that the copyright owner has claimed.

Note: Claimants who repeatedly select inaccurate timestamps may have their access to manual claiming revoked or, if applicable, have their partnership terminated. If you believe that the timestamps claimed in your video are inaccurate, you can get in touch with Support about the claim.

You can also filter to get a list of videos that have claims on them by clicking Filter   Copyright claims.

What can I do if my video has a manual claim?

Tools to Resolve Manual Content ID Claims - Copyright on YouTube

Depending on the situation, you have a few options if your video has a manual claim:

If you agree with a claim:

• Do nothing: If you believe that a claim is valid, you can leave it as is. You can also change your mind later.

• Remove the claimed content: If you believe that a claim is valid, you can remove the claimed content without having to upload a new video. If done successfully, any of the three options below will automatically release the associated claim:

  1. Trim out a segment: This option removes just the claimed segment from your video. Learn more.
  2. Replace the song (audio claims only): If the music in your video is claimed, you may be able to replace your audio track with free-to-use music from the YouTube Audio Library. Learn more.
  3. Mute a song (audio claims only): If the music in your video is claimed, you may be able to mute the claimed song. You can choose whether to mute just the song or all audio in the video. Learn more.
• Share revenue: If you're in the YouTube Partner Programme and your video's music is claimed, you may be able to share revenue with the music publisher. Learn more.

If you disagree with a claim:

• Dispute the claim: If you believe that a claim made on your video is invalid, you can dispute it. Learn how to dispute a Content ID claim.

If you dispute a claim without a valid reason, the content owner may request a takedown of your video. If we get a valid takedown request for your video, your account will get a copyright strike. Learn more about copyright strikes.