How to Fill Out and Submit a YouTube Copyright Removal Request

To file a YouTube copyright removal request, send YouTube a DMCA takedown notice through the web form at youtube.com/copyright_complaint_form, or by email, fax, or postal mail. The notice needs direct links to the infringing videos, a description of the copyrighted work you own, your contact information, your signature, and two sworn statements. If the notice is valid, YouTube removes the video and issues a copyright strike against the uploader’s channel.¹

Who Can File

Only the copyright owner or someone legally authorized to act on the owner’s behalf can submit a removal request. That covers the original creator of a video, song, photograph, or other work, and also an attorney, manager, or licensing agent with authority to represent the owner.¹

If you don’t own or control the copyright, the form is not the right tool, even if the video is offensive, defamatory, or invades your privacy. Those complaints go through separate YouTube reporting channels.

Check Fair Use Before You File

Before you file, honestly evaluate whether the use of your work might qualify as fair use, sit in the public domain, or fall under another copyright exception. YouTube’s form may ask you to confirm you did this, and skipping the step can invalidate the request.¹

This is a legal requirement, not just a platform preference. The Ninth Circuit held in Lenz v. Universal Music Corp. that copyright holders must actually consider fair use before sending a DMCA takedown notice. The court said “mere lip service” to fair use is not enough, though the analysis doesn’t have to be exhaustive. Skipping fair use analysis entirely can itself expose you to liability for misrepresentation under federal law.

The analysis is fact-specific. It looks at whether the new work is transformative, how much of your original was used, and whether the new use affects the market for your work.

What to Gather Before You Open the Form

Collect all of the following before you start. Missing any required element can make the notice legally ineffective under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3).²

Direct URLs for each infringing video. Channel links and search results don’t count; YouTube needs the specific video page.
A clear description of your original work and how it appears in the reported video. A timestamp, or a link to your original upload, strengthens the claim.
Contact information: at least one of an email address, mailing address, or phone number. YouTube recommends providing more than one.
A signature. On the web form, this means typing your full legal name — first and last, not a company name.¹

You also have to agree to two statements on the form. The first is a good-faith belief that the use of your material is not authorized by you, your agent, or the law. The second, made under penalty of perjury, certifies that the information is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act for the owner.² These are sworn declarations. Don’t agree to them lightly.

One notice covers one allegation of infringement. If different videos infringe different works, file a separate request for each. If multiple videos infringe the same work, you can list them together in a single request.²

Your Contact Info Reaches the Uploader

YouTube is legally required to forward certain details from the notice to the person who uploaded the video. Whatever contact information you provide — email, mailing address, or phone — becomes visible to that party.¹ If that concerns you, have an attorney or authorized representative file on your behalf so their details appear instead.

How to Submit

You have four options. The web form is fastest, but email, fax, and mail all work.

Web Form

Sign in to YouTube Studio at studio.youtube.com. In the left menu, select Content detection, then click New removal request. The form walks you through contact information, a description of your work, links to the infringing videos, the two legal statements, and your signature.¹ You can also go straight to youtube.com/copyright_complaint_form.

Email, Fax, or Mail

Put all of the required information in the body of an email — not as an attachment — to copyright@youtube.com. Or fax it to +1 650 872 8513. Or mail a physical notice to:¹

What Happens After You File

YouTube reviews the request and, if it meets the legal requirements, removes the video. The uploader is notified that a copyright claim caused the removal and receives a copyright strike against their channel.³ Strikes affect the uploader’s monetization and live streaming; three within 90 days can lead to channel termination.

The 7-Day Scheduled Removal Window

Some requests are “scheduled” rather than acted on immediately. When that happens, the uploader gets a 7-day window to resolve the issue before the video comes down and a strike posts.⁴ During those seven days, the uploader can delete the video (which avoids the strike), contact you to ask you to retract the request, or, if the request came from a rejected Content ID appeal, cancel that appeal. If the uploader does nothing, the video is removed and the strike applies at the end of the window.

If the Uploader Files a Counter-Notification

An uploader who believes the removal was a mistake or misidentification can file a counter-notification. That’s a legal filing in its own right: it requires the uploader’s contact information, a sworn statement under penalty of perjury that the removal was an error, and consent to the jurisdiction of a federal district court.⁵

Once YouTube forwards the counter-notification to you, you have 10 to 14 business days to respond with evidence that you’ve filed a court action against the uploader. Without proof of a lawsuit within that window, YouTube is legally required to restore the video.⁵ This is the point where a takedown can turn into litigation if the uploader pushes back.

Retracting a Request

If you change your mind — you realize the use was authorized, or you reach an agreement with the uploader — you can retract the request. Retracting removes the copyright strike from the uploader’s channel and restores the video. It’s also how you resolve a scheduled removal when the uploader contacts you during the 7-day window and you agree to withdraw.

Liability for a False or Careless Notice

A fraudulent or reckless takedown notice carries real legal consequences. Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), anyone who knowingly misrepresents that material is infringing can be held liable for damages, including the other party’s costs and attorney fees.² The standard is subjective — courts look at whether you actually knew the claim was false or acted with reckless disregard, not whether you made an honest mistake. But under Lenz, failing to consider fair use at all before filing can itself count as knowing misrepresentation.

The perjury declaration on the form is not decorative. If the uploader or the platform suffers measurable harm from a false notice — lost revenue, legal fees, reputational damage — you can be sued for it. Do the fair use analysis before you click submit, even when you’re confident your work was copied.

1
YouTube Help. Submit a Copyright Removal Request
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 17 USC 512 – Limitations on Liability Relating to Material Online
3
YouTube Help. Understand Copyright Strikes
4
YouTube Help. About Copyright Removal Requests
5
U.S. Copyright Office. Section 512 of Title 17 – Resources on Online Service Provider Safe Harbors and Notice-and-Takedown System