Counter Notifications

A YouTube counter notification is the legal request to restore a video removed for copyright by mistake or misidentification. The claimant gets 10 US business days to show they have sued; if not, YouTube puts the video back.

2:05 A YouTube counter notification is a legal statement, sent from YouTube Studio or by email, that a video taken down for copyright was removed by mistake or misidentification (fair use included); YouTube forwards it to the claimant, who then has 10 US business days to show they have taken legal action, and if they have not, the video is reinstated. It is the uploader's answer to a takedown and the copyright strike that came with it. It is not a dispute of a Content ID claim, which has its own process (Disputing Copyright Claims), and because it begins a legal process, YouTube asks only people ready to defend their use in court to send one.

Quick facts

For	Videos removed by a legal copyright request
Claimant's deadline	10 US business days to show legal action
Who can send	The uploader, or an authorized representative such as a lawyer
Shared with claimant	Yes, including your name, address and phone number
Can it be withdrawn?	Yes, before the claimant responds
As of	Nov 6, 2026

Source: Submit a copyright counter notification, YouTube Help.

When should I send a counter notification?

2:01 Only when the removal was a mistake: the video was misidentified, you own or licensed the material, or your use is covered by an exception such as fair use or the public domain. YouTube Help states plainly that a counter notification is not for other cases, and that submitting false information or fraudulent documents can end in termination of the account and legal consequences (Submit a copyright counter notification). If the claim was fair, the alternatives are to ask the claimant for a retraction or to complete Copyright School and wait 90 days for the strike to expire.

How do I submit a counter notification in YouTube Studio?

In YouTube Studio, open Content, click the filter bar and choose Copyright.
Find the video marked "Removed" in the Visibility column.
Hover over Copyright in the Restrictions column and click See details.
Under Content used, click Take action > Submit a counter notification.
Read the requirements, check the box and click Continue.
Enter your full legal name (a person, not a company or channel) and complete physical address.
Explain in your own words why the removal was a mistake or misidentification.
Check the legal statements, sign with your full legal name and click Continue.
Optionally pick other videos from the same removal request, then click Submit.

Source: Submit a copyright counter notification, YouTube Help.

By email, fax or mail

Uploaders who cannot use Studio, including those with a terminated channel or a deleted video, can send the counter notification to copyright@youtube.com or by fax or mail. It must contain: your full legal name, physical address and phone number; links to each removed video; a statement to the claimant in your own words; two legal statements, consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for your address (or the court that applies outside the US) and a good-faith belief, under penalty of perjury, that the removal was a mistake or misidentification; and your signature, meaning your full legal name (Submit a copyright counter notification). A counter notice missing any of these may be rejected by email.

What happens next

4:11 YouTube reviews the counter notification and, if it is complete, forwards it to the claimant. From then the claimant has 10 US business days to send YouTube evidence of a lawsuit meant to keep the video off the site. If none arrives, the video is restored, unless you deleted it, and the strike is resolved. You can withdraw a counter notification before the claimant answers by replying to YouTube's confirmation email or writing to copyright@youtube.com.

The legal risk

3:00 A counter notification is a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, and it hands the claimant your legal name, address and phone number and your consent to be served with a lawsuit in a named court. That is the point of the process: it is the US DMCA's way of moving a disagreement from YouTube to the courts. YouTube's own advice is to seek legal advice when a case is complex, and a creator who does not want to hand over personal details can authorize a representative, such as a lawyer, to email the counter notification to copyright@youtube.com. YouTube says it does not decide fair use and cannot mediate copyright disputes (Fair use on YouTube). For a small number of US creators whose videos are viewable only in the US, YouTube's fair use protection program has offered to cover up to $1 million of legal costs if a removal they contested leads to a lawsuit.

What got rejected and what worked

George Vanous, who runs the Freedom! network, kept a log of counter notifications from 2019 to 2021. The ones that went through explained specifically how the video used the material: a film review channel that tied its commentary to every clip shown, a composer who proved the "copied" sample was a free Apple Logic Pro X sample and linked the license (forwarded within 15 minutes, by his notes), a gameplay review with the creator on camera giving criticism, and a cooking video that used a five-second contextual clip. Generic wording failed: YouTube rejected one gameplay notice as unclear whether there was a valid reason, and twice answered that it thought the creator was "misusing our counter notification process". YouTube's reply in those cases was to resubmit only with a detailed explanation and only if willing to defend it in court. He also found that resubmitting the same text sometimes succeeded, which says more about the review than about the text. A disclaimer such as "no copyright intended" carries no weight: YouTube Help lists it among the myths (Fair use on YouTube).

Frequently asked questions

How long does a YouTube counter notification take? After YouTube forwards a valid counter notification, the claimant has 10 US business days to show they have taken legal action. If they have not, YouTube restores the video and resolves the strike.

Does a YouTube counter notification reveal my address? Yes. YouTube shares the counter notification with the claimant, including your full legal name, physical address and phone number, because the claimant needs them to sue.

Can I send a counter notification for a Content ID claim? No. A YouTube Content ID claim is disputed in YouTube Studio; a counter notification is only for videos removed by a legal copyright takedown, including one filed after a rejected dispute.

Can I cancel a counter notification on YouTube? Yes, as long as the claimant has not responded: reply to YouTube's confirmation email or email copyright@youtube.com saying you want to retract it.

What if my YouTube channel was terminated? A terminated YouTube channel can still send a counter notification, from YouTube Studio after signing in or by email, fax or mail with all the required elements.

Is it risky to file a YouTube counter notification? It is a legal statement made under penalty of perjury that opens the door to a lawsuit, and YouTube may terminate accounts that misuse the process, so send one only when the removal was truly a mistake.

Sources

Submit a copyright counter notification, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
Fair use on YouTube, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
Copyright School on YouTube, YouTube Creators, Dec 5, 2025 (video)
Copyright Claims and Dispute Process, YouTube Creators, Sep 13, 2022 (video)

Moments

Understanding Copyright Strikes

YouTube Creators

2:05 A YouTube counter notification is a legal statement, sent from YouTube Studio or by email, that a video taken down for…
3:00 A counter notification is a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, and it hands the claimant your legal name…