Post · Phase 4 of 5
Policy, Copyright & Compliance
Strikes, claims, fair use, disclosure and the rules that decide whether a video stays up and stays earning. The area where guessing costs the most.
Category 9 of 16 in the creator glossary · 113 terms
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AdpocalypseThe creator name for the waves of advertiser pullout, beginning in 2017, that brought mass demonetisation and much tighter ad rules.Advertising Standards Authorityaka ASAThe UK advertising regulator, which applies the CAP Code to creator posts and publishes rulings when a brand deal is not clearly labelled.Age estimationaka age assurance, age inferenceYouTube inferring whether an account belongs to an adult from behaviour rather than the birthday typed in at signup.Age restrictionaka age-gating, age gate, 18+A gate limiting a video to signed-in viewers aged 18 and over, applied either by the creator or by YouTube's reviewers.Altered or synthetic content disclosureaka AI disclosure, AI label, altered content labelThe declaration a creator makes in YouTube Studio when realistic material was generated or meaningfully altered by AI, and the label viewers then see.Audio fingerprintingaka fingerprint, audio matchThe matching technology that recognises a recording inside an upload from its acoustic pattern rather than its filename or metadata.
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CAP Codeaka CAP, UK advertising codeThe UK rule book for non-broadcast advertising, written by the Committee of Advertising Practice and enforced by the ASA.Cease and desistaka C&DA letter demanding you stop using something or stop saying something. A threat of legal action rather than a court order.Channel hijackingaka channel hacked, account takeover, channel takeover scamA channel takeover, usually starting with a fake sponsorship email carrying malware that steals the session cookies keeping you signed in.Channel terminationaka terminated channel, channel ban, perma-ban, account terminationYouTube permanently removing a channel and its uploads, usually after three strikes or a single severe policy breach.Child safety policyaka child safetyThe part of YouTube's Community Guidelines covering under-18s, banning material that endangers them and mature themes dressed up for young audiences.Children's Online Privacy Protection Actaka COPPAThe US law on data collected from under-13s, and the reason every YouTube creator has to label content as made for kids.Claim retractionaka claim released, released claim, retracted claimA rights holder withdrawing a Content ID claim, which hands monetisation back to the creator and clears the claim from the video.Clear and conspicuousaka clear and conspicuous disclosureThe advertising-law standard a disclosure has to meet: hard to miss, easy to understand, and in the same medium as the claim it qualifies.Community Guidelinesaka guidelines, CGYouTube's rules on what may be posted at all, enforced with strikes against the channel rather than with lost revenue.Community Guidelines strikeaka CG strike, guidelines strikeA penalty applied when content breaks YouTube's Community Guidelines, carrying restrictions and counting towards channel termination.Community Guidelines warningaka warning, first warningA one-off caution issued before strikes begin, which you can clear by completing a short policy training course.Content IDaka ContentIDYouTube's automated matching system, which checks every upload against reference files supplied by participating rights holders.Content ID appealaka appeal a claim, claim appealThe second stage after a claimant rejects your dispute, escalating a Content ID claim and raising the stakes to a possible strike.Content ID assetaka assetThe rights record inside Content ID that ownership details, reference files and match policies all attach to.Content ID claimaka automatic claim, Content ID matchAn automated match found by YouTube's Content ID system. The video usually stays up while the rights holder takes the revenue or restricts it.Content ID disputeaka dispute a claim, claim disputeThe formal step for contesting a Content ID claim; the claimant then has 30 days to release it, uphold it or file a takedown.Content ID match policyaka match policy, claim policy, block policy, track policy, monetise policyThe instruction a rights holder attaches to matches of their work: block the video, track it quietly, or run ads and take the revenue.Content ID reference fileaka reference file, referenceThe master copy a rights holder gives YouTube so Content ID has something to match every upload against.Contest policiesaka contest rules, giveaway rulesYouTube's rules for running a giveaway on the platform, sitting on top of whatever the law where you live already demands.CopyrightThe automatic legal right in an original work from the moment it is fixed. Everything in YouTube's copyright system rests on it.Copyright claimaka claim, claimed videoAny assertion of rights over your video by a rights holder, most often an automated Content ID match. A claim is not the same thing as a strike.Copyright infringementaka infringementUsing somebody else's protected work without permission or a legal exception, which on YouTube usually surfaces as a claim or a strike.Copyright Match Toolaka match toolA Studio tool that surfaces full reuploads of your videos on other channels and lets you decide what happens to each one.Copyright Schoolaka YouTube Copyright SchoolYouTube's short course a channel has to complete before a copyright strike will expire, made up of a video and a handful of questions.Copyright strikeaka strikeThe penalty from a completed legal takedown, heavier than a Content ID claim. Three inside a rolling 90-day window can end a channel.Copyright termaka copyright duration, life plus 70How long copyright lasts before a work reaches the public domain. Across the UK, US and EU the default is the author's life plus 70 years.Copyright trollAn operator who files claims or lawsuits at scale mainly to collect settlements, rather than to protect a work being used.Counter-notificationaka counter notice, DMCA counter-noticeThe sworn legal reply an uploader files to dispute a copyright takedown and ask for the video to be put back.Creative Commonsaka CC, CC BY, Creative Commons licenceA set of standard public licences that grant reuse rights in advance, under conditions such as attribution or non-commercial use.
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Deepfakeaka synthetic media, face swapSynthetic video or audio that convincingly puts a real person's face or voice into something they never did or said.Defamationaka libel, slanderA false statement of fact that damages someone's reputation. Libel when published or recorded, slander when merely spoken.Deplatformingaka deplatformedLosing the whole account rather than one upload, and with it the audience, the archive and the income attached to them.Derivative workaka derivativeA new work built on top of an existing copyrighted one: a remix, translation, edit, adaptation or reaction cut.Digital Millennium Copyright Actaka DMCAThe 1998 US law behind YouTube's takedown machinery: rights holders send notices, uploaders can counter-notify, hosts stay protected if they act promptly.Digital Services Actaka DSAEU law setting how platforms must handle notices, explain removals and offer appeals, applying across the union since 2024.DMCA takedown noticeaka takedown notice, takedown request, DMCA takedownA formal legal request under US copyright law asking a platform to remove material the sender says infringes their rights.
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Editorial use onlyaka editorial licenceA stock licence restriction allowing news, commentary and education while barring commercial use. A monetised video can count as commercial.EDSA exceptionaka EDSA, educational documentary scientific artisticYouTube's allowance for material that would otherwise break its rules, when educational, documentary, scientific or artistic context justifies it.External links policyaka links policyYouTube's rules on where you may send viewers from a description, card, end screen or pinned comment, enforced with strikes.
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Fair dealingaka fair dealing exceptionThe UK, Canadian and Australian equivalent of fair use, limited to a fixed list of permitted purposes with conditions attached to each.Fair useaka Section 107The US defence permitting limited unlicensed use of copyrighted work. Weighed on four factors by a court, and never guaranteed in advance.Fair use disclaimeraka no copyright infringement intended, copyright disclaimerThe no-copyright-infringement-intended boilerplate creators paste into descriptions. Writing it changes nothing about whether a use is lawful.Fair use factorsaka four factors, four-factor testThe four questions US courts weigh when deciding whether an unlicensed use is fair: purpose, nature of the work, amount taken, and market effect.Fake engagement policyaka fake engagement, artificial engagementYouTube's rule against artificially inflating views, likes, comments or subscribers, whether bought from a service or traded between channels.False copyright claimaka fraudulent claim, abusive claim, bogus claimA claim or takedown filed by somebody with no rights to the material, sometimes an honest error and sometimes extortion.Federal Trade Commissionaka FTCThe US regulator whose endorsement rules require creators to disclose paid or otherwise material relationships with brands.Flaggingaka reporting, report a video, flagViewer-side reporting. The flag control sends a video, comment or channel into review against the Community Guidelines.Freebootingaka stolen reupload, content theftReuploading someone else's video natively to your own account or another platform, passing it off as your post.FTC Endorsement Guidesaka Endorsement Guides, FTC disclosure, FTC disclosure rulesThe US guidance setting out how creators must disclose paid or material relationships with the brands they talk about.
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General Data Protection Regulationaka GDPREU and UK data law covering any personal data a creator holds, an email list very much included.Geo-restrictionaka country restriction, region block, geo-blockingBlocking a video in specific countries, either by the creator's own choice or because a rights holder's policy applies only in some territories.Good standingaka channel in good standingA channel with no active Community Guidelines strikes. Most monetisation and feature access is conditional on it.
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Harassment and cyberbullying policyaka harassment policyYouTube's rules on content that targets a person, covering threats, sustained abuse and publishing private details.Harmful or dangerous content policyaka dangerous challenges policy, dangerous actsThe Community Guideline banning stunts, challenges and instructions likely to get someone hurt, including hoaxes and content promoting self-harm.Hate speech policyaka hate speechYouTube's rule against material that promotes violence or hatred towards people based on protected attributes, enforced by removal and strikes.
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Impersonation policyaka impersonationYouTube's rule against passing yourself off as another channel, person or brand in a way that could mislead viewers.Inappropriate languageaka profanity policy, swearing policyThe advertiser-friendly rule on swearing. Strong language in the opening seconds used to limit ads by itself, and no longer does.Inauthentic content policyaka mass-produced content, repetitious contentYouTube's monetisation rule against mass-produced and templated uploads, renamed from repetitious content in July 2025.Intellectual propertyaka IPThe umbrella term for rights you own or license in creative and commercial work: copyright, trademarks and related rights.
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Made for kidsaka MFK, kids content, child-directedThe COPPA-driven setting that marks a video as child-directed, which strips comments, notifications, personalised ads and most engagement features.Manual claimaka manual claimingA copyright claim a rights holder files by hand against a specific video, rather than one Content ID's automated matching raised.Melody matchaka melody claimA Content ID match on the underlying composition rather than the recording, which is how cover versions get claimed.Misinformation policyaka medical misinformation policy, elections misinformation policyYouTube's rules on false claims that can cause real-world harm, split across general, medical and elections misinformation.Misleading metadataaka misleading thumbnails, metadata spamA title, thumbnail, description or tag set promising something the video does not deliver. YouTube's spam policy names the serious version.Model releaseaka talent release, appearance releaseA signed permission from anyone identifiable on camera, covering your right to use their image in the finished video and its promotion.
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Online Safety Actaka OSA, UK Online Safety ActThe UK law making platforms responsible for illegal content and for protecting children online, enforced by Ofcom with duties phased in from 2025.Ownership conflictaka Content ID ownership conflictTwo or more rights holders claiming the same material in Content ID, which freezes monetisation on it until they resolve it.
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Paid product placement policyaka sponsored content policy, paid product placements sponsorships and endorsementsYouTube's rules for sponsored segments, plugs and gifted products, including the paid promotion box you tick and the categories nobody may promote.Paid promotion disclosureaka includes paid promotion, paid promotion checkbox, #adThe Studio checkbox declaring that a video contains paid promotion, which shows viewers a notice at the start of playback.ParodyWork that takes aim at the original itself. A recognised copyright exception in many countries, and no defence at all against an automated claim.Privacy complaintaka privacy takedown, privacy complaint processYouTube's process for removing content showing an identifiable person without their consent. Separate from copyright and from Community Guidelines.Public domainaka PDWork with no copyright attached, because the term has expired or because it never qualified for protection in the first place.
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Regulated goods policyaka sale of illegal or regulated goods, firearms policyYouTube's rule against content that helps viewers buy or obtain restricted items, covering firearms, drugs, nicotine, alcohol and gambling among others.Repeat infringer policyA platform's obligation to terminate accounts that keep infringing copyright, which is what the strike system exists to enforce.Restricted ModeAn optional viewer filter that hides content YouTube flags as potentially mature. Schools and workplaces routinely lock it on for everyone.Right of publicityaka likeness rights, image rights, personality rightsA person's control over commercial use of their name, face, voice or other identifying features.Rights clearanceaka clearance, clearing rightsGetting written permission to use somebody else's material before you publish, instead of hoping nobody notices.Rights holderaka rightsholder, copyright owner, rights ownerThe person or company owning or controlling a work, and therefore the only party who can license, claim or take it down.
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Safe harbouraka safe harbor, Section 512The legal shield that keeps a platform from being liable for what users upload, provided it removes infringing material on notice.SatireWork that uses existing material to comment on something other than that material. Weaker fair use footing than parody, which targets the original.SLAPP suitaka anti-SLAPP, strategic lawsuit against public participationA lawsuit filed to silence criticism through the cost and stress of litigation, with no real expectation of winning on the merits.Spam and deceptive practices policyaka spam policy, deceptive practices, scams policyThe Community Guidelines section covering scams, misleading metadata, engagement gaming, mass-produced uploads and comment spam.Standard YouTube Licenseaka standard licence, default licenceThe default licence on a YouTube upload. It reserves your rights and gives nobody permission to reuse the video.Strike appealaka appeal a strikeAsking YouTube for human review of a removal or a Community Guidelines strike, on the grounds that it was applied wrongly.Strike expirationaka strike expiry, 90 day strikeThe point at which a strike stops counting against a channel, ninety days after the day it was issued.Suicide and self-harm policyaka self-harm policyYouTube's rules on how self-harm and suicide may be shown or discussed, and what the platform requires of videos touching the subject.
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Third-party AI training settingaka AI training opt-in, third-party trainingThe YouTube Studio control deciding whether outside companies may use your uploads to train their AI models.Three strikes ruleaka 3 strikes, three strike policyThree copyright strikes and YouTube can terminate the account, take its uploads offline and bar the owner from making new channels.Trademarkaka trade mark, registered markLegal protection for the name, logo or slogan a business trades under, registered by class of goods and by country.Trademark complaintaka trademark takedownYouTube's separate complaint route for use of a brand's mark in a channel name, thumbnail, title or metadata, handled apart from copyright.Trademark infringementaka trade mark infringementUsing someone's brand name, logo or slogan in a way that could make people think they made or endorsed your video.Transformative useaka transformative workThe fair use question of whether a work adds new meaning or purpose instead of standing in for the original.Trusted Flaggeraka Priority FlaggerYouTube's programme, renamed Priority Flagger in 2023, which gives vetted government agencies and NGOs bulk reporting tools and faster review of what they flag.Two-factor authenticationaka 2FA, two-step verificationA second proof of identity at login, so a stolen password on its own is not enough to take a channel.
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Video removalaka video taken down, removed videoA single video taken down from the platform, which may or may not come with a strike attached to the channel.Video restrictionsaka restrictions, restrictions columnThe Studio column flagging limits on a video, such as a copyright claim, an age restriction or a block in some countries.View bottingaka bot views, fake views, view botsUsing automated traffic to inflate a view count. The views get stripped out, and the channel carries the risk.Violent or graphic content policyaka graphic content policy, violence policyYouTube's community guideline on gore, real violence and shocking imagery, and the rules on what gets removed or age-restricted.
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YouTube channel monetization policiesaka monetisation policies, YPP policiesThe combined rule set a channel has to follow to join the Partner Programme and keep earning, checked continuously rather than once.YouTube Content Manageraka CMS, content management systemThe rights-management back end labels, networks and MCNs use, sitting above ordinary Studio and administering many channels at once.YouTube KidsYouTube's separate app for children, with its own curated catalogue and standards, distinct from the made for kids setting.YouTube Terms of Serviceaka ToS, YouTube terms, platform terms of serviceThe contract between YouTube and everyone who uses it, which sits above the Community Guidelines and every other policy on the platform.