YouTube has announced a tool for creators that informs them if their content is lifted, adding to the policies already in place. Every time a video is uploaded, the tool scans YouTube for the same content and will only identify full video uploads. This will not be applicable to usage of clips from the video.
The tool is called the Copyright Match tool, which will roll out to creators with more than 100,000 subscribers from next week, with the same rolling out for other users over the next few months.
It will notify the creators if copies of their videos have been posted on YouTube. The creators can take action accordingly.
It will allow them to either do nothing, contact the person who has uploaded the video or remove the video from YouTube.
YouTube announced the feature in a blog published on Wednesday, saying that it has been working with creators for about the past year to develop the tool.
After a video is uploaded, YouTube will scan other videos uploaded on the platform to see if any of them are the same or very similar. When it finds a match, it will appear in a “matches” tab within the tool and the creator can decide what to do next.
However, it is important that the creator is the first person to upload his/her video on YouTube. The time of the video upload is how YouTube will determine who should be shown matches.
The tool is intended to find full re-uploads and won’t work in cases of clips being used. For that, users have to go back to the traditional copyright policies.
If the creator requests removal of the video, they can do it with or without a 7-day delay to allow the uploader to correct the issue. YouTube will review these requests under its copyright policies before removing the video.
The Copyright Match tool is similar to the Content ID program YouTube has put in place to help owners find people using their content without permission. But Content ID is more limited and allows creators to make money out of the unauthorised use of their content, something that the new Copyright Match tool doesn't allow.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)