Copyright Strikes

1:37 A YouTube copyright strike lasts 90 days, but only after you complete Copyright School: it is placed on a channel when a video is taken down because a copyright owner sent YouTube a legal removal request, and three active strikes make the account and every channel linked to it subject to termination. A strike is a different thing from a Content ID claim, which never counts against a channel by itself, and from a Community Guidelines strike, which follows its own rules. There are three ways to make one go away: wait it out, get the claimant to retract, or send a counter notification.

Quick facts

Source: Understand copyright strikes, YouTube Help.

What is a copyright strike on YouTube?

0:43 A strike means a person or company told YouTube, through its legal process, that a video used their work without permission, and YouTube agreed the request looked valid and removed the video. Copyright law obliges YouTube to take the content down once it receives a complete, valid request, so the strike is not YouTube's own judgment that the video infringed: it is the record of a takedown. That is the main difference from a Content ID claim, where the owner's automated match only blocks, tracks or earns money from the video (Understand copyright strikes). A claim can turn into a strike, though: a claimant who rejects a dispute may file a removal request instead (Disputing Copyright Claims).

A video carries only one copyright strike at a time, however many works it was accused of using.

How long does a copyright strike last?

1:12 A strike expires 90 days after it is applied, with two conditions: the channel owner has completed Copyright School, and the channel has fewer than three strikes. Without Copyright School, a strike stays on the channel indefinitely. Copyright School is a short course of 4 questions about how copyright works on YouTube, done once; after that, each new strike counts down on its own. YouTube's own introduction to the course says wrong answers do not count against you, but closing it before the end loses your progress, and the strike then does not expire.

Deleting the removed video does nothing: the strike stays. The one exception is a scheduled removal, below.

The 7-day scheduled removal

Some claimants ask YouTube to schedule the removal rather than act at once. Then the uploader has 7 days to delete the video before the takedown happens, and no strike is applied. The strike email from no-reply@youtube.com says whether this option applies. Help describes no other case where deleting a video avoids a strike.

What happens with three copyright strikes?

3:16 With three active strikes, the account and any associated channels are subject to termination, the uploaded videos become inaccessible, and the owner may not create new channels. Help adds that termination reaches across linked channels: if a channel linked to yours has three active strikes, yours is at risk too, and the other way round. A terminated owner signs in to YouTube Studio to see what can still be done (Channel Termination).

Live streams

An active live stream removed for copyright brings a strike and 7 days without live streaming; a second copyright strike extends that to 14 days (Live Streaming).

How do I get rid of a copyright strike?

1. Wait 90 days. Complete Copyright School and keep the channel under three strikes, and each strike expires on its own (Understand copyright strikes).
2. Ask for a retraction. In YouTube Studio, open Dashboard > Active copyright strikes, select the video, choose Select action and Contact claimant. The claimant can retract in Studio (Copyright > Retract removal) or by emailing copyright@youtube.com from the same address or company domain that filed the request. YouTube accepts only a retraction of the removal request itself, not of the strike alone. Once processed, the strike is cleared and the video returns unless you deleted it (Retract a copyright removal request).
3. File a counter notification, if the video was removed by mistake or your use is covered by an exception such as fair use. The claimant then has 10 US business days to show they have gone to court, or the video is restored. It is a legal process that shares your name and address with the claimant (Counter Notifications, Fair Use on YouTube).

Where to see a strike in YouTube Studio

2:51 The Studio Dashboard lists "Active copyright strikes". On Content, open the filter bar, choose Copyright, find a video marked "Removed" in the Visibility column, hover over Copyright in the Restrictions column and click See details; clicking See details again shows who filed the request and where their work appears in the video (Understand copyright strikes).

Who can file a takedown

Anyone who believes their copyright was infringed can send a request through YouTube's webform, and YouTube says it removes content when a request is complete and valid (Submit a copyright removal request). George Vanous, who runs the Freedom! network, records that a YouTube partner manager told a creator whose videos were being reuploaded that three separate takedown requests would be needed to remove the copying channel, which matches the three-strike rule. YouTube also warns that misuse of the copyright process, by a claimant or by an uploader, can end in termination of the account (Submit a copyright counter notification).

How strikes changed

1:46 George's 2019 video on the then-new strike rules covers the system YouTube announced on Feb 19, 2019, effective Feb 25, 2019. That overhaul was of Community Guidelines strikes (the one-time warning, then a one-week and a two-week freeze before termination); copyright strikes kept their own track, the three-in-90-days rule and Copyright School, which is why the two kinds of strike are counted separately in Studio to this day. George stressed the point in that video: a channel could hold two of each, four strikes in all, without termination, because it takes three in one category.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a copyright strike last on YouTube? A YouTube copyright strike expires 90 days after it is applied, but only if the channel owner has completed Copyright School and the channel has fewer than three strikes. Without Copyright School it does not expire.

Does deleting the video remove a copyright strike? No. Deleting a removed video does not resolve a YouTube copyright strike. The only exception is a scheduled removal, where deleting the video within 7 days avoids the strike altogether.

How many copyright strikes before a YouTube channel is deleted? Three active copyright strikes make a YouTube account and its associated channels subject to termination, and a linked channel's three strikes put yours at risk as well.

Is a Content ID claim a copyright strike? No. A Content ID claim on YouTube does not put a strike on the channel. A strike comes only from a legal removal request, though a claimant can file one after rejecting a dispute or appeal.

Can a copyright strike be removed early? Yes. The person who filed the request can retract it in YouTube Studio or by email, which clears the strike and restores the video, or a valid counter notification can lead YouTube to restore it after 10 US business days.

Does a copyright strike stop live streaming? If YouTube removes an active live stream for copyright, live streaming is restricted for 7 days, and a second copyright strike makes it 14 days.

Sources

• Understand copyright strikes, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
• Retract a copyright removal request, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
• Submit a copyright counter notification, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
• Submit a copyright removal request, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
• Making our strikes system clear and consistent, YouTube Official Blog, Feb 19, 2019
• Understanding Copyright Strikes, YouTube Creators, Jan 22, 2025 (video)
• Copyright School on YouTube, YouTube Creators, Dec 5, 2025 (video)
• New YouTube strike rules! (effective Feb 25, 2019) - KYC #19, Freedom!, Feb 20, 2019 (video)