YouTube verifies copyright during upload
YouTube is launching a new tool called Checks that initially informs content makers if their video contains copyrighted material and complies with advertising guidelines, in an effort to make it easier to upload the video and receive advertising revenue.
Before Checks was introduced, content creators uploaded their videos to YouTube and hoped that everything would go unhindered.
The new feature displays downloads for copyrighted content, which may lead to removals or claims by copyright holders for advertising revenue, and it also shows whether the video conflicts with advertising guidelines.
YouTube aims to reduce the number of yellow icons that content creators see next to their video, in reference to the yellow dollar signs that indicate that ad revenue is withheld due to copyright issues or instructions.
This new system relies on Content ID, so if YouTube's copyright definition system detects a violation after scanning the video, then the rights holder's policy is automatically applied to the video.
This could either lead to the video being completely blocked, or the rights owners monetizing it instead.
If Content ID matches the content in the content creator's video with another rights holder, the YouTube user who uploads the aforementioned video receives a notification via Checks to find a way to remove that portion of the video early on.
This means that videos can start to generate revenue the second time they upload rather than be subject to a claim dispute, which could affect the total ad revenue that the content creator earns.
If a copyright claim is found, but the content creator does not believe they are making any mistake, YouTube allows the content creator to challenge the claim before publishing.
Given that it takes a few days to process claims, YouTube users can either choose to wait until the dispute is settled before publishing, or they can post the video while they wait for the final result.
And if the dispute finds that the content creator has not used copyrighted content, then the advertising revenue earned during that period is paid to the aforementioned person, while if the dispute finds that the rights holder is correct, the advertising revenue is paid to him instead.
YouTube tries to make it easier for claims to be found and early contested by content creators.
This is part of the company's ongoing efforts to ensure that content creators can monetize videos as quickly as possible.
Other approaches exist, including directing content creators on how changes in metadata and tagging affect revenue after publication.