YouTube might begin checking videos for copyrighted content before they're published

If the feature rolls out, you could see a warning before you hit the publish button, instead of dealing with copyright-related issues later.

The company already offers checks that can identify copyrighted content. (Shutterstock)

YouTube is the world's largest repository of documentaries, DIY tutorials, cat videos, movie trailers, parodies, and so much more, which makes it one of the platforms most sought after by advertisers who want to reach the company's 2 billion logged-in users. However, with billions of users and millions of uploaded videos, YouTube is always looking for ways to stop one of its biggest issues - copyrighted content being misused on the platform.

The company already offers checks that can identify copyrighted content, but a new report by XDA suggests that the site will now check for potential copyright infringement before the video is even uploaded to the site. The site seems to be testing a new video upload workflow that adds another stage before the final visibility setting, according to a screenshot shared by consultant Matt Navarra included below.

YouTube has a new video upload screen featuring additional copyright checks before publishing (on desktop)

h/t @YasserM86 pic.twitter.com/YR4gxdL2Na

— 🟣 Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) March 16, 2021

Accordion to the report the tool will basically run the content you have just uploaded through YouTube's ContentID system that will notify you if what you just uploaded matches Google's database of content that has been copyrighted. If that's the case, you can cancel the upload and remove the offending parts.

It's still important to note, that even if your video passes Google's ContentID check and you get a “no issues found” message, it doesn't mean it's in the clear. As YouTube notes in the screenshot: “Remember. These check results aren't final. Issues may come up in the future that impact your video.” This makes it sounds like your video can still be flagged by a record label after it is cleared by Google, so content creators would do well to remember that while uploading videos even after the feature rolls out to everyone.