Content ID for podcasts: claim the clips others re-upload

Why podcast clips are copied so often

A two-hour episode holds dozens of moments that work as a one-minute clip. Clip channels know that, and many of them upload the same moment more than once, cropped to vertical, captioned or sped up. Some are fans or editors you work with. Many are not, and they earn from your audience without asking.

You have three options for a copy you didn't approve: ask the channel, file a copyright removal request, or claim it through Content ID. Our guide to what to do when someone re-uploads your video compares them in detail.

What a podcast can claim

Content ID compares uploads with reference files from rights owners, and YouTube's eligibility rules ask for exclusive rights to everything in the reference. For a podcast that usually means:

• Yours: the recorded conversation, your video, and original segments, jingles or animation you made or commissioned outright.
• Not yours: intro and background music licensed without exclusivity, "royalty free" tracks, clips from films, shows or other podcasts that you play and discuss, and anything a guest supplied and still owns.

The second list doesn't stop you from claiming. A Content ID service sets exclusions, so the reference skips those segments and claims only match your part. What matters is that your episodes are mostly original recording.

If you publish episodes to YouTube from your RSS feed, YouTube uploads the episodes as private videos and suggests checking them for copyright or monetization issues before you make the podcast public. The same segments that could get your own upload claimed are the ones to exclude from your references.

Clips, commentary and fair use

Some clips are not copies. A commentary video that uses a short moment from your show to criticize or discuss it may be fair use, and YouTube's fair use page explains how that is weighed. Uploaders can dispute a claim, and the claimant then has 30 days to respond. Our guide to fair use on YouTube covers where the line usually falls.

If clip channels help your show grow, you can work with them instead. An Aegis license page lets a channel request a license to reuse your episodes. When you approve, your claim stays on their uploads and the revenue is shared on terms you set.

How it works with Aegis

Aegis is a Content ID service for creators. You give us a link to your channel or to a playlist of episodes, and we add them as references in bulk, with exclusions for the segments you don't own. We claim the copies and handle disputes, false claims and overlapping references. We also look for the clips automatic matching misses, because clip channels often crop, re-render, cut or speed up a moment to avoid it. Your earnings are broken down by asset and by claim, so you can see which episodes are copied most.

New to Content ID? Start with how independent creators get Content ID. If you're not sure what kind of channel is copying you, our guide to spotting a spam reuploader helps.