YouTube Checks: Tool That Warns Creators About Copyright Issues Before Posting a Video, Explained

In an effort to make the process of uploading videos and generating ad revenue easier, Google-owned YouTube is rolling out a new tool called “Checks.” Checks will tell creators if their video contains copyrighted material and complies with the advertising guidelines of the platform, before they go ahead and post a video. Before this, creators had no option of checking if their videos contain anything that could be of conflict.

The new feature scans the uploads for copyrighted content, which could lead to takedowns or copyright holder claiming ad revenue, if any copyright dispute is found. The tool also ensure if the video is in line with the advertising guideline issues. With Checks, YouTube is aiming to effectively cut down on the amount of “yellow icons” creators usually see next to their videos. This is the yellow dollar sign ($) that suggests ad revenue is being held due to copyright or guideline problems. The new system is reliant on Content ID. This means that if YouTube’s copyright identification system finds a violation after a video is scanned, the rights holder’s policy will be automatically applied to the video. This could lead to either the video being blocked entirely, or the copyright holder monetising the video instead.

If the Content ID matches content in a creator’s video to another copyright holder, the uploader will receive a notice from Checks to find a way to remove that part of the video before publishing. This means that videos can start earning revenue the second they are uploaded, instead of going through a claim dispute.

YouTube also allows creators to dispute the claims before publishing the video. This, however, takes a few days to process, so YouTubers can either choose to wait until the dispute is settled or publish the video while waiting for a decision. In case of the latter, if the creator did not use copyrighted content, ad revenue earned during that time is paid out. If there is dispute, the ad revenue is paid to the copyright holder instead.

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