In 2024, YouTube processed more than 2.2 billion copyright claims—its highest annual total to date—largely through its automated Content ID system. Over 99% of these claims were filed without any human intervention, underscoring the platform's heavy reliance on automation to manage copyrighted material.

According to YouTube’s latest transparency report, only 4,564 rightsholders actively used the Content ID system out of more than 7,700 who had access. This relatively small group was responsible for the vast majority of copyright claims. By comparison, more than 308,000 users submitted claims through YouTube’s public webform, resulting in just over 3 million claims.

Figure 1. 2.2 billion Copyright.

Content ID alone accounted for 99.43% of all copyright enforcement actions on the platform in 2024. Within that, around 6.9 million claims—approximately 0.31%—were entered manually. Figure 1 shows 2.2 billion Copyright.

Despite the massive volume, disputes were rare. Less than 1% of Content ID claims—around 22 million—were contested. Manual claims faced more pushback than automated ones, with dispute rates of 1.13% versus 0.54%, respectively. Notably, over 65% of these disputes were resolved in favor of uploaders, often because rightsholders either withdrew their claims or failed to respond.

Most rightsholders opted to monetize rather than remove flagged content. Over 90% of claimed videos were monetized, allowing YouTube to share ad revenue with the claimants [1]. This strategy has proven financially successful: since its inception, Content ID has paid out more than $12 billion to content owners.

However, access to Content ID remains highly restricted. YouTube limits its use to trusted partners to prevent widespread misuse, as even a single inaccurate reference file can generate thousands of false claims. One such incident involved a news outlet wrongly asserting ownership over NASA’s public domain footage, which affected other media organizations—and NASA itself.

Although the system is not flawless and can be misused, YouTube argues that its current framework offers a fair balance between protecting copyright holders and supporting creators. Whether that balance is effective, though, depends on who you ask.

Reference

1. https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2025/05/youtube-logged-22-billion-copyright.html

Cite this article:

Keerthana S (2025), YouTube Recorded 2.2 billion Copyright Claims in 2024 — 99% Triggered Automatically, AnaTechMaz, pp.101.