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YouTube Copyright and Fair Use Policies

As one of the biggest platforms in the world for content creation, YouTube has established its own copyright and fair use laws for creators to abide by. 

YouTube has established these rules to protect creators, as well as regulate them.

On its website, YouTube sets a clear and concise layout for creators to read and follow whenever they set out to post content to their channel. YouTube separates its rules into five segments: policies overview, community guidelines, copyright, monetization policies, and legal removals.

YouTube's dedication to creating a safe place for creators to upload their individual content, allows creators to regulate and protect themselves from unnecessary and accidental claims of copyright and plagiarism.

Under their Copyright section, YouTube goes into great detail about the rules and regulations regarding copyright and fair use, as well as the creators' expectations within their channels.

Screenshot from Youtube.com

This screenshot from YouTube's Copyright page, it clearly states the expectations of content and how it is to be properly used within their platform. Creators are meant to only post authorized work or original work and are expected to, "not upload videos they didn't make, or use content in their videos that someone else owns the copyright to, such as music tracks, snippets of copyrighted programs, or videos made by other users, without necessary authorizations."

YouTube also includes information regarding Fair Use and its expectations as well. The website clearly explains that fair use is a U.S. law that "allows the reuse of copyright-protected material under certain circumstances without getting permission from the copyright owner", as well as explaining that fair use is determined on a "case by case" basis and does not apply the same way in different countries around the world. 

Fair Use YouTube Video

To help creators manage their content, YouTube has created the YouTube Audio Library for creators to correctly and safely "re-use content safely by providing free high-quality music and sound effects." When copyright infringement is in question, YouTube looks at if the creator was "transformative" within the inclusion of someone else's work, meaning they look at whether there was a "new expression" added to the original work.  

The regulation and monitoring of copyright and fair use stem from the injustice of real cases occurring inside the platform. So, how does YouTube deal with copyright infringement?

Whenever an infringement of copyright is reported by the creator, through a valid DMCA complaint, YouTube immediately takes down the video in question and applies a copyright strike.

If a user receives three strikes within 90 days, their channel will be removed from the site. YouTube also provides help for creators accused of copyright infringement: "waiting for it to expire after 90 days, requesting a retraction, or submitting a counter-notification".

Copyright infringement and fair use policies are a huge part of the YouTube platform and are essential for a service this successful and large to continue to produce content from millions of different creators across the world.

Although copyright may not seem like an important component in social media and content creation, protecting the original work of a creator on these platforms is essential to ensure their content is guarded by ethical laws, and available to everyone.