YouTube & rights
Claims, disputes and conflicts
What happens when a claim is disputed or two owners claim the same recording.
Updated October 6, 2026
Disputes
A YouTube user can dispute a claim, for example if they believe their use is licensed. Disputes appear in Requests and our team reviews them. Valid disputes are released; invalid ones are upheld.
Ownership conflicts
A conflict means another rights holder claims the same recording in some territories. We contact the other party to resolve it; revenue in the conflicting territories is held until the conflict is settled.
Whitelisting
To let a channel use your music without being claimed — your own artist’s channel, a partner or a campaign — request a whitelist in Requests → YouTube.
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