How Content ID works

Copyright holders use Content ID to easily identify and manage their content on YouTube. Videos uploaded to YouTube are scanned against a database of files that have been submitted to us by content owners. When Content ID identifies a match between your video and a file in this database, it applies the policy chosen by the content owner. Content owners may choose the following policies:

Monetize: If ads that you did not enable appear on or before your video, the content owner has applied a Monetize policy.

Block: If the content owner has chosen a Block policy, your video will either not be viewable on YouTube, or its audio will be muted. The owner may choose to allow content within your video to play in some countries while blocking it in others. While you may not be able to see your video, or hear its audio, people in other regions may still be able to view and interact with it as usual. You will still be able to view, moderate, and respond to comments on the video from the Comments page in My Messages.

Track: If the content owner has chosen a Track policy, your video will be unaffected. However, its viewership statistics will appear in the content owner's YouTube Analyticsaccount.

Please keep in mind that any of these policies can be country-specific. A video may be monetized in one country, and blocked or tracked in another.

How to check your Content ID matches

You can view all of your Content ID matches in the Copyright Notices section of your account. If your video has been blocked worldwide, your account standing will be negatively affected and you may lose access to certain features.
If you believe the Content ID match to your video is correct, you may simply acknowledge it and move on. However, if you believe the system has misidentified your video, you may dispute the match.
If your video has been claimed by “one or more music publishing rights collecting societies,” you may want to learn more about collective rights management.

How can I use Content ID?

Only certain content owners will qualify for access to Content ID. If you don't own exclusive rights to a substantial body of content that is frequently uploaded by the YouTube user community, Content ID is probably not right for you. However, if you believe your content meets this criteria, you may apply.