YouTube

YouTube’s new copyright tools can remove content from a video, offer more details

Ben Schoon | Dec 26 2019 - 9:14 am PT

YouTube creators have long struggled with copyrighted content and, more often than not, it requires pulling down a re-editing a video entirely. With its latest Studio update, YouTube is bringing a new copyright tool called “Assisted Trim” which can remove a copyrighted segment of a video without removing it from the platform.

Announced earlier this month in a blog post, “Assisted Trim” should help creators who receive a copyright notice on a video where only a portion of the video is affected. For example, if a song is playing in the background.

When used, this feature automatically identifies and highlights the portion of the video affected by a copyright claim. From there, the creator can remove it immediately which, in turn, resolves the copyright claim on the video and fixes any issues with monetization. In the future, YouTube says that users will be able to adjust the endpoints of what’s selected by Content ID to ensure the viewing experience is still ideal.

On top of Assisted Trim, YouTube has also introduced several other new copyright tools for creators. One of these is a new interface within YouTube Studio which allows creators to immediately see information about any active copyright strikes and details about how to resolve them.

We’re also providing more transparency about the content of the copyright takedown than ever before, now surfacing the specific description of the copyrighted work provided by the claimant in the takedown notice. In cases where that info is not readily available, there’s an option to contact our copyright team for a copy of the takedown notice.

Under the videos section, there’s also a new filter that shows only videos with any sort of copyright claim.

There’s a new filter in the Videos page that lets you see which of your videos have been impacted by Copyright strikes or Content ID claims (yes, these are different!). Just click on Copyright claims in the filter. We’ve also added a new ‘Restrictions’ column on the Videos page that provides a more defined entry point for finding details about copyright issues on your video.