Got a copyright claim on a gameplay video?
A copyright claim on gameplay usually comes from YouTube Content ID matching music in the game. A claim is not a strike, and you can often dispute it. This guide shows how to check the claim, find the publisher’s policy and decide what to do.
Updated 2026-11-15
Short version
- Open the claim in YouTube Studio and note the claimed track and the timestamps.
- Compare the claimed track with the game’s page here: the publisher’s quoted policy and the streamer-mode setting.
- Dispute with a link to the publisher’s policy, or trim or mute the segment.
Claim or strike?
A Content ID claim can block monetization, route revenue to the claimant or limit where the video plays. It does not count against your channel.
A copyright strike is a takedown request under copyright law. It removes the video and counts against your channel. Three active strikes can end a channel, so treat a strike differently from a claim.
Read the claim
In YouTube Studio, open Content, choose the video and open the Copyright section. YouTube shows the claimed content, the claimant, the matched timestamps and what the claim does (for example, monetization goes to the claimant).
Write down the track name and the part of the game it comes from. Licensed songs inside a game are claimed more often than the game’s own score.
Check the publisher’s policy
Look up the game on our site and read the quoted policy with its checked date. If the publisher allows streams and monetized videos, keep the link to its official page: you can cite it in a dispute.
Check the streamer-mode row too. Some games mute or replace licensed music when streamer mode is on, and a claim on a track that streamer mode covers is worth noting in your dispute.
Dispute the claim
In the Copyright section, choose Dispute. Say where the music comes from in the game, quote the publisher’s policy and add the link to the official page.
The claimant reviews the dispute, not YouTube and not us. They can release the claim, keep it, or in some cases escalate it. Do not dispute a claim you have no basis for: a rejected dispute can be appealed only in limited cases.
Other options
If you do not want to dispute, YouTube Studio lets you trim the claimed segment, mute the song or replace it with free audio from the audio library. The claim is released once the matched part is gone.
Tell other streamers what happened: a short user report helps everyone who plays the same game.
Information only, not legal advice. Policies change; check the publisher’s page before you stream. Claims depend on YouTube, Twitch and rights holders, not on us.