Content ID is a tool used by YouTube to track usage of audio and video files. For our purposes, we are going to focus on audio (music) tracks.
When a music track is added to Content ID, YouTube will scan uploaded videos, flag any that contain matching music, and place ads on the videos. It is important to note that receiving a Content ID claim is not a copyright strike or a formal legal action. This is simply an automated tool used to collect royalties. In most cases, if a video has been flagged by Content ID, it has been done in error and can be easily reversed with minimal impact to the channel.
Content ID is intended to protect rights of content creators and reduce piracy on the site. However, due to the size and scope of YouTube’s platform, the tool is prone to error as it leaves little room for nuance.
Some of Storyblocks library is tracked on Content ID. The tracks managed by Storyblocks are there to i) safeguard against piracy ii) protect our customers from bad faith claims and iii) enforce the exclusivity of the track. However, content creators are still free to use their own tracks for personal projects. If you believe you received a claim in error, there are several steps you can take:
Contact Us so that we can tell our partner to release the claim; or
Manually dispute the claim using YouTube’s interface.
Note: If a track is removed from our library, it may remain in CID for up to 90 days.