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Copyright Help Center
We take copyright seriously at Google. Here you can learn about common concepts in copyright as well
as answers to frequently asked questions relating to respecting copyright on Google's services. To learn
more about copyright on YouTube, check out the YouTube Copyright Center.
What is "Copyright"?
What is "Fair Use"?
Frequently Asked Copyright Questions
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What is "Copyright"?
Which types of work are subject to copyright?
Copyright ownership gives the owner the exclusive right to use the work, with some exceptions.
When a person creates an original work, fixed in a tangible medium, he or she automatically
owns copyright to the work.
Many types of works are eligible for copyright protection, for example:
Audiovisual works, such as TV shows, movies, and online videos
Sound recordings and musical compositions
Written works, such as lectures, articles, books, and musical compositions
Visual works, such as paintings, posters, and advertisements
Video games and computer software
Dramatic works, such as plays and musicals
The Copyright Office has information online, and you can check with a lawyer if you want to
know more.
Is it possible to use a copyright-protected work without infringing?
Yes, in some circumstances, it is possible to use a copyright-protected work without infringing
the owner’s copyright. For more about this, you may wish to learn about fair use. It is important
to note that your content can be removed in response to a claim of copyright infringement, even
if you have...
Given credit to the copyright owner
Refrained from monetizing the infringing content
Charged for a copy of the content in question
Noticed similar content that appear elsewhere on the internet
Purchased the content including a hard or digital copy
Recorded the content yourself from TV, a movie theater, or the radio
Copied the content yourself from a textbook, a movie poster or photograph
Stated that “no copyright infringement is intended”
Some content creators choose to make their work available for reuse with certain requirements.
For more about this, you may wish to learn about the Creative Commons license.
Can Google determine copyright ownership?
No. Google isn’t able to mediate rights ownership disputes. When we receive a complete and
valid takedown notice, we remove the content as the law requires. When we receive a valid
counter notification we forward it to the person who requested the removal. If there is still a
dispute it’s up to the parties involved to resolve the issue in court.
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What is the difference between copyright and trademark? What about patents?
Copyright is just one form of intellectual property. It is not the same as trademark, which
protects brand names, mottos, logos, and other source identifiers from being used by others for
certain purposes. It is also different from patent law, which protects inventions.
What is the difference between copyright and privacy?
Just because you appear in a video, image or audio recording does not mean you own the
copyright to it. For example, if your friend took a picture of you, she would own the copyright to
the image that she took. If your friend, or someone else, uploaded a video, image or recording of
you without your permission, and you feel it violates your privacy or safety, you may wish to file
a privacy complaint.
Copyright Infringement Notification Requirements
The easiest way to file a complaint is to use our legal troubleshooter.
Copyright notifications must include the following elements. Without this information, we will
be unable to take action on your request:
1. Your contact information
You’ll need to provide information that will allow us to contact you regarding your complaint,
such as an email address, physical address or telephone number.
2. A description of your work that you believe has been infringed
In your complaint, be sure to clearly and completely describe the copyrighted content you are
seeking to protect. If multiple copyrighted works are covered in your complaint, the law allows a
representative list of such works.
3. Each allegedly infringing URL
Your complaint must contain the specific URL of the content you believe infringes your rights,
or we will be unable to locate it. General information about the location of the content is not
adequate. Please include the URL(s) of the exact content at issue.
4. You must agree too and affirm both of the following statements:
“I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly
infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.”
And
“The information in this notification is accurate and I swear, under penalty of perjury, that I am
the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is
allegedly infringed.”
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5. Your signature
Complete complaints require the physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a
representative authorized to act on their behalf. To satisfy this requirement, you may type your
full legal name to act as your signature at the bottom of your complaint.
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What is "Fair Use"?
In many countries, certain uses of copyright-protected works do not infringe the copyright
owner’s rights. For example, in the United States, copyright rights are limited by the doctrine of
"fair use," under which certain uses of copyrighted material for, but not limited to, criticism,
commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research may be considered fair. U.S.
judges determine whether a fair use defense is valid according to four factors, which we’ve listed
below for educational purposes. In some other countries, there is a similar concept called "fair
dealing" that may be applied differently.
Remember, it is your responsibility to understand the relevant law and whether it protects the use
you have in mind. If you plan to use copyrighted material you didn’t create, we'd strongly advise
you to take legal advice first. Google cannot provide legal advice or make legal determinations.
The four factors of fair use:
1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial
nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
Courts typically focus on whether the use is “transformative.” That is, whether it adds new
expression or meaning to the original, or whether it merely copies from the original.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
Using material from primarily factual works is more likely to be fair than using purely fictional
works.
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as
a whole
Borrowing small bits of material from an original work is more likely to be considered fair use
than borrowing large portions. However, even a small taking may weigh against fair use in some
situations if it constitutes the “heart” of the work.
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work
Uses that harm the copyright owner's ability to profit from his or her original work by serving as
a replacement for demand for that work are less likely to be fair uses.
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Frequently Asked Copyright Questions
I have permission to use this content. Why was it removed?
How do I get permission to use someone else's song, images or footage?
If I’ve already submitted a copyright complaint to Google, why do I have to provide all my
information each time I have another request?
What are the consequences of copyright infringement?
I notified Google of a page that infringed my copyright and it was removed, but I just received
an email saying it may be reinstated. What is happening?
I have permission to use this content. Why was it removed?
If you have cleared the rights to use certain copyright-protected material on your page, you may
want to alert the original content owner to avoid a mistaken removal. If your page was removed
in error, you have the option of requesting a retraction from the claimant by contacting them
directly or of submitting a counter notification.
Before you issue a counter notice, you may want to ask yourself a few questions to make sure
it’s a valid dispute:
Are you the copyright owner of the work?
Do you have permission to all third-party material used in the work from the appropriate
copyright owner(s)?
Should your use of any copyrighted material be considered a fair use, fair dealing or qualify for
an exception under the applicable copyright law?
If one of the conditions above applies to your content, you may want to research the most
appropriate dispute process or consult an attorney. If not, you may be in violation of copyright
laws.
How do I get permission to use someone else's song, images or footage?
If you plan to include copyright-protected material in your work, you may need to seek
permission to do so first. Google cannot grant you these rights and we are unable assist you in
finding and contacting the parties who may be able to grant them to you. This is something
you’ll have to research and handle on your own or with the assistance of a lawyer.
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If I’ve already submitted a copyright complaint to Google, why do I have to provide all my
information each time I have another request?
In accordance with copyright law, we require complete copyright notifications for each removal
request.
The easiest way to submit another complaint is to use our online webform.
What are the consequences of copyright infringement?
For Google, the consequences of copyright infringement are simple. We comply with the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Under this law, we may, when properly notified, disable
access to content that violates applicable copyright law.
If we receive a valid infringement notification identifying content associated with your work, it
will be removed and you may receive a strike.
In addition, copyright owners may choose to sue for infringement. In the U.S., copyright
infringement may result in statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work infringed and, in some
cases, criminal penalties.
I notified Google of a page that infringed my copyright and it was removed, but I just
received an email saying it may be reinstated. What is happening?
We have likely received a counter notification regarding your removal request. In accordance
with the law, the content will be reinstated unless you submit evidence that you’ve filed a court
action against the user seeking to restrain the allegedly infringing activity. If we don't receive
that notice from you within 10 days, we may reinstate the material to Google.
Disclaimer: We are not your attorneys and the information presented here is not legal advice. We
provide it for informational purposes.
