Have you received a notification from Facebook informing you that “Your video’s ad revenue is being claimed by a music rights owner” , despite using music labeled as “no copyright”?
In this article, we will guide you through how to remove any claim from your Facebook video if a rights owner is claiming your video’s ad revenue and/or partially muting your video due to a copyright claim.
A claim may occur when a third party’s content is automatically detected in your video. Meta, who owns Facebook and Instagram, has developed a copyright protection system called Rights Manager. This system is a video, audio, and image-matching tool used to identify and manage rights holders' content on Facebook and Instagram. If your video matches any content in the Rights Manager database, you will automatically receive a claim on your video. This might restrict where your video can be seen or affect its monetization status; however, a claim does not negatively affect your Facebook page.
Most music libraries, including Free To Use, add their music to Meta’s Rights Manager system. This might result in your video’s ad revenue being claimed; however, if you’d like to keep your video’s ad revenue, you can easily dispute this claim as long as you follow the rules set out by the specific music library. In Free To Use’s case, you must include correct attribution in your video description – as stated in the Usage Policy.
For those who don’t know, Free To Use is a well-known music platform that provides access to a library of copyright-safe music — entirely for free. Free To Use gives everyone access to unlimited free downloads, and you don’t even need to sign up for an account!
Start by finding your video on Facebook. If your video is being claimed by a rights owner, you should see some info text in the upper right corner saying, “Your video contains content claimed by someone else.”
Click on this info text.
Then click on See details.
Click on continue →
Read the explanations provided by Facebook.
Click on continue →
If you are confident that you have obtained permission from the rights owner to use and monetize the content, proceed by selecting Submit dispute.
Click on continue →
Facebook now asks you one extra time if you are sure that you want to submit a dispute.
To submit a dispute, click on Open Form.
You will be presented with several reasons for disputing the claim. If you have permission or a license from the rights owner to use this content, select Licensed Content.
In the Additional details field, describe why you believe the claim on your video should be removed. If you’ve used music from a music library such as Free To Use, you are welcome to use my explanation as a guide or reference.
Then check the box that says, “I understand that by submitting this dispute, I give the rights owner permission to view my video and public information that may allow them to identify my account.”
Once you have filled in all necessary details, click on Submit. Facebook will forward your dispute to the rights' owner.
The rights owner now has seven days to respond to your dispute. They can either release the claim or uphold it. If you’ve followed the rules, such as including correct attribution in Free To Use’s case, the claim on your video should be released.
On the other hand, if the rights owner rejects your dispute and upholds the claim on your video, and you still believe the claim is incorrect, you can appeal the claim within seven days.
Similar to the action you took when disputing the claim earlier, start by finding your video on Facebook and click on the info text saying, “Your video contains content claimed by someone else.”
Click on See details.
Click on Submit appeal.
Facebook now asks you one extra time if you are sure that you want to submit an appeal.
To submit an appeal, click on Open form.
In the Reason for appeal field, describe why you still believe the claim on your video should be removed.
Provide your personal information, including your full name, phone number, and email address. Ensure your details are accurate and up-to-date, as this information is important for identification and communication purposes.
Then check the box that says, “Your contact information will be shared with the rights owner so they can contact you with any questions about your appeal.”
Once you have filled in all necessary details, click submit. Facebook will forward your appeal to the rights owner.
The rights owner now has seven days to respond to your appeal. They can either release the claim or submit a takedown request to Facebook.
Fac ebook will hold all monetization revenue earned from your video during the dispute and appeal process. If the claim on your video is released at any point during the dispute or appeal process, you will automatically receive all ad revenue earned since the claim was first placed on your video.
On the other hand, if the rights holder submits a takedown request to Facebook, your YouTube video will most likely be removed, and you will receive a strike. This might seem frightening at first, but if you believe this strike is incorrect because you have obtained permission from the rights holder to use the content, you can submit a counter-notification.
A counter-notification is a legal request under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), asking Facebook to reinstate a video that has been incorrectly removed for copyright infringement. Facebook forwards this counter-notification to the rights holder, and the rights holder has to provide evidence that they have taken legal action against you in court within 14 business days. In more than 99% of cases, it is not worth it for the rights to take legal action against you, and the only option for them is to let their takedown request expire, which means Facebook is legally required to reinstate your content.