Avoid copyright
strikes on clips.

YouTube: strikes and claims

YouTube has two different things, and people mix them up.

Copyright strikes come from a copyright removal request. Per YouTube's help center:

• The video is removed.
• A strike expires after 90 days if you complete Copyright School.
• With three strikes, your account and its channels are terminated, your videos become unavailable, and you cannot create new channels.
• You can resolve a strike by waiting it out, asking the claimant to retract it, or sending a counter notification if you believe it was a mistake or fair use.

Content ID claims are automatic matches, often on music. A claim is not a strike. The owner can block the video, run ads on it, or just track it. You can leave it, trim or mute the claimed part, replace the song, or dispute. YouTube warns that disputing without a valid reason can lead the owner to file a removal request, and that can mean a strike.

TikTok: removal and bans

TikTok's copyright policy says it does not allow content that infringes copyright. When it gets a valid notice:

• The video is removed and you get a notice in the app.
• TikTok may also restrict your access to LIVE.
• Under its repeat infringer policy, accounts that keep infringing are banned, and severe cases can be banned right away.

If you think a removal was wrong, you can appeal with a counter notification in the app.

Twitch: DMCA and music

Twitch's DMCA guidelines treat an account with three copyright strikes as a repeat infringer, and repeat infringers lose access to Twitch. A strike is added when Twitch receives a complete notice and there is no counter notification or retraction.

Twitch's music guidelines say streamers may not include music they do not own in streams or on-demand content, and that list includes clips. Twitch may mute VODs and delete clips when its audio recognition detects copyrighted audio.

Why that matters to you: if a song was playing on stream, it is in the clip too, and it follows the clip onto your TikTok or YouTube page.

Music, permission and fair use

• Choose moments without music when you can. It is the simplest fix.
• Trim or mute the part where a song plays.
• Do not assume a track is cleared for you. A song that is fine on the streamer's channel is not automatically fine on your page. Check the music library's own terms.
• Get permission from the streamer. It is the safe route for their content. See how to get permission.

About fair use: YouTube says courts decide fair use case by case, that giving credit won't by itself make a copy fair use, and that "no infringement intended" won't protect you. Do not count on fair use as your plan.

Not copyright, still costly: reused content

Some rules have nothing to do with strikes but still hit clip pages. YouTube's reused content policy can take monetization away from a whole channel that reposts content without significant changes, and YouTube says it applies even with the creator's permission. Instagram says accounts that mostly share unoriginal content may not be recommended to new audiences. Adding your own storyline or commentary helps with both. Details in how to monetize clips.

Before you post, check:

1. Do I have permission, or a campaign that allows this?
2. Is there music in it? Can I cut it?
3. Did I add my own edit, hook or commentary?
4. Is my account clearly a fan or clip page?

Where ReelShift fits

ReelShift cuts clips from a live stream as it happens and trims dead air, but it cannot tell you whether a song is cleared or whether you have permission. That part is on you. What it does give you is time: clips arrive vertical and captioned, so you can spend your minutes checking music and adding your own edit. See ReelShift for clippers.