YouTube

==== Content ID ====
{{Main|Content ID}}

In June 2007, YouTube began trials of a system for automatic detection of uploaded videos that infringe copyright. Google CEO Eric Schmidt regarded this system as necessary for resolving lawsuits such as the one from [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]], which alleged that YouTube profited from content that it did not have the right to distribute.<ref>{{cite news |last=Delaney |first=Kevin J. |date=June 12, 2007 |title=YouTube to Test Software To Ease Licensing Fights |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB118161295626932114.html |access-date=December 4, 2011 |archive-date=February 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220085307/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118161295626932114.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The system, which was initially called "Video Identification"<ref>{{Citation|last=YouTube Advertisers|title=Video Identification|date=February 4, 2008|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWizsV5Le7s|access-date=August 29, 2018}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=David |date=December 2, 2010 |title=Content ID turns three |language=en-US |work=Official YouTube Blog |url=https://youtube.googleblog.com/2010/12/content-id-turns-three.html |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref> and later became known as Content ID,<ref>{{cite web |date=September 28, 2010 |title=YouTube Content ID |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g2U12SsRns |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/9g2U12SsRns |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=May 25, 2015 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> creates an ID File for copyrighted audio and video material, and stores it in a database. When a video is uploaded, it is checked against the database, and flags the video as a copyright violation if a match is found.<ref name="youtube">[https://www.youtube.com/t/contentid_more More about Content ID] YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2011.</ref> When this occurs, the content owner has the choice of blocking the video to make it unviewable, tracking the viewing statistics of the video, or adding advertisements to the video.

An independent test in 2009 uploaded multiple versions of the same song to YouTube and concluded that while the system was "surprisingly resilient" in finding copyright violations in the audio tracks of videos, it was not infallible.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Von Lohmann |first1=Fred |date=April 23, 2009 |title=Testing YouTube's Audio Content ID System |newspaper=Electronic Frontier Foundation |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/04/testing-youtubes-aud |access-date=December 4, 2011}}</ref> The use of Content ID to remove material automatically has led to [[YouTube copyright issues|controversy]] in some cases, as the videos have not been checked by a human for fair use.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Von Lohmann |first1=Fred |date=February 3, 2009 |title=YouTube's January Fair Use Massacre |newspaper=Electronic Frontier Foundation |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/01/youtubes-january-fair-use-massacre |access-date=December 4, 2011}}</ref> If a YouTube user disagrees with a decision by Content ID, it is possible to fill in a form disputing the decision.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/t/contentid_dispute Content ID disputes] YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2011.</ref>

Before 2016, videos were not monetized until the dispute was resolved. Since April 2016, videos continue to be monetized while the dispute is in progress, and the money goes to whoever won the dispute.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hernandez |first1=Patricia |title=YouTube's Content ID System Gets One Much-Needed Fix |url=https://kotaku.com/youtubes-content-id-system-gets-one-much-needed-fix-1773643254 |access-date=September 16, 2017 |website=Kotaku |date=April 28, 2016}}</ref> Should the uploader want to monetize the video again, they may remove the disputed audio in the "Video Manager".<ref>{{cite web |title=Remove Content ID claimed songs from my videos – YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2902117?hl=en |access-date=September 17, 2017 |publisher=Google Inc. |language=en}}</ref> YouTube has cited the effectiveness of Content ID as one of the reasons why the site's rules were modified in December 2010 to allow some users to upload videos of unlimited length.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Siegel |first1=Joshua |last2=Mayle |first2=Doug |date=December 9, 2010 |title=Up, Up and Away – Long videos for more users |url=https://youtube.googleblog.com/2010/12/up-up-and-away-long-videos-for-more.html |access-date=March 25, 2017 |website=Official YouTube Blog}}</ref>