You can dispute a likeness claim if one of the valid dispute reasons listed below applies to your video.
When you dispute a likeness claim, the claimant is notified and has 30 days to respond.
Before you dispute
Make sure your dispute falls under one of these four reasons:
| Dispute Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| Individual granted permission | You have the individual's permission to use their likeness in your video. |
| Video contains parody, satire, or public interest value | The video uses someone’s altered or synthetic likeness to satirize or critique a person, idea or social issue. |
| No altered or synthetic likeness | Your video contains real footage of the individual that was not significantly edited or generated by AI or other tools. |
| Individual doesn’t appear in the video | The video doesn’t feature the individual’s face or voice. |
Ultimately, YouTube can’t decide whether you should dispute a claim. If you’re not sure what to do, you may want to seek legal advice before you dispute.
Submit a dispute
After you dispute
After you submit a dispute, the likeness claimant has 30 days to respond.
What the claimant can do
- Release the claim: If the claimant agrees with your dispute, they can release their claim.
- Reinstate the claim: If the claimant believes that their claim is still valid, they can reinstate it. This means that your dispute was rejected and the claim stays on your video. You may be eligible to appeal this decision.
- File a privacy complaint: If the claimant believes that their claim is still valid, they can file a privacy complaint. If the privacy complaint is valid, your video may be removed from YouTube.
- Let the claim expire: If the claimant doesn’t respond within 30 days, the claim on your video will expire and be released from your video.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What happens if my dispute is rejected?
If your dispute is rejected, the claim will remain on your video. If you’re still confident the claim is invalid, you may be eligible to appeal the decision. Learn more about appealing a likeness claim.
Keep in mind that the likeness claimant may file a privacy complaint at any time during the dispute process. If this happens and the privacy complaint is valid, your video may be removed from YouTube.
Why does the claimant review both the initial dispute and the appeal?
The initial dispute and the appeal are reviewed by the claimant because they are in the best position to determine whether or not the content contains the unauthorized altered or AI-generated likeness of the individuals they represent.
If the claimant chooses to reinstate their claim, they're required to file a privacy complaint (which we evaluate under our Privacy Guidelines) to keep the video down.
Can a video have more than one likeness claim on it?
Yes, a video can have multiple likeness claims on it, for example if the altered or AI-generated likenesses of multiple individuals appear. Note that if there are multiple people in a video, each person may file a privacy complaint.
Can I cancel a dispute after it’s submitted?
No, once you’ve submitted a dispute, it can’t be canceled.