Copyright Strike YouTube

What is a copyright strike on YouTube?

A copyright strike on YouTube is a formal penalty your channel gets when a copyright owner submits a complete and valid legal request to remove your video. YouTube reviews these requests and, if they appear valid, removes the content to comply with copyright law.

A strike is not the same as a Content ID claim, and it is also different from a Community Guidelines strike. A claim is handled inside YouTube's rights-management system, while a strike is the result of a legal takedown request against your channel.

What each strike means for your channel

Official notifications arrive by email from no-reply@youtube.com, and each level has fixed consequences:

• 1 strike: the video is removed. If you complete Copyright School, the strike expires in 90 days; otherwise it stays active on the channel.

• 2 strikes: the same as above — removal, plus the 90-day expiry that only works after Copyright School is completed.

• 3 strikes in 90 days: the account and all associated channels are subject to termination, uploaded content becomes inaccessible, and you can't create new YouTube channels.

Termination also ends your YouTube monetization — there is no channel left to earn from. A video can hold only 1 copyright strike at a time. If an active live stream is removed for copyright, the channel gets a strike and live streaming is restricted for 7 days; a repeat strike extends the restriction to 14 days.

Copyright strike vs Content ID claim

A Content ID claim typically doesn't result in a copyright strike. The copyright owner simply decides whether to track, monetize, or block the claimed video, and your channel stays untouched. A strike appears only when the owner files a formal copyright removal request.

One caution: if you dispute a claim without a valid reason, the owner has the option to submit a copyright removal request for your content. If that request appears valid, the video is removed and the strike lands on your channel.

How to remove a copyright strike

There are 3 official ways to resolve a strike:

1. Complete Copyright School and wait 90 days. The strike expires 90 days from the day it was applied — if Copyright School is completed and the channel has fewer than 3 strikes.

2. Get a retraction. Contact the person who filed the takedown request and ask them to retract it.

3. Submit a counter notification. Use it if the video was removed by mistake or qualifies as a copyright exception, such as fair use.

If the takedown request was scheduled, the email from no-reply@youtube.com gives you 7 days to delete the video and avoid the strike. In every other case, deleting a video does not remove the strike. You can see active strikes in YouTube Studio: open Content, filter by Copyright, and look for videos with the "Removed" status. The safest strategy is to avoid copyright issues before they reach your channel.