YouTube is going to warn creators about copyright issues before they post a video

It does happen to content creators often that are not aware if the video they are about to post violates copyright or not. YouTube has come up with a new tool that is going to automatically check videos and alert creators of potential copyright claims and ad sustainability restrictions before the videos are published.

This new tool is called ‘Checks’ and it aims to make the process of uploading videos and receiving ad revenue easier for content creators. The tool screens all uploads for copyrighted content, which might lead to takedowns or those owning the copyright claiming ad revenue, and also check whether the video violates advertising guidelines.

With Checks, YouTube will be effectively cut down the amount of “yellow icons” creators often see next to their videos. The yellow dollar sign next to a video means that ad revenue is being held back due to copyright issues or ad guideline violations.

This tool relies on Content ID, so if YouTube’s copyright identification system finds a violation after scanning a video, the right holder’s policy will automatically apply to the video. This could mean that the video might be blocked entirely or the right holders will monetise the video instead.

If the Content ID matches the creator's video to that of another rights holder, the YouTuber who is about to upload the video is going to receive a notice from Check. The next step would be to find a way to remove that part of the video in time. If a copyright claim is found, creators will have to figure out a way to address the issue when they click on “See details” and if there is an ad-suitability issue, creators will see an option to “Request review”.

While all this is great, what happens when Checks raises a copyright claim but the creator does not think he/she did anything wrong?

Well, YouTube is going to allow creators to dispute the claim before publishing. But since claims take a few days to process, the creators will have an option to wait till the dispute is settled and then publish the video or publish the video while they wait for the final result.

If it is found that the creator did not use the copyrighted content, the ad revenue earned over the wait time will be paid out, if it turns out that there has been a violation of copyright, the right holder will get the money instead.