If you are reading this, there is a good chance you just received an alert from our team at the Church Media Protection Alliance (CMPA). We actively monitor the platform to help ministries protect their digital footprint, and we may have notified you that a “scraper” channel has downloaded your Sunday stream and re-uploaded it to their own page.
You’ve reviewed the link we sent. It’s not transformative commentary, and it’s definitely not Fair Use. It is direct theft. So, what’s your media team’s next move?
Here is exactly how you can file an official, legally binding Copyright Removal Request to take back control of your content. Take this one step at a time:
Step 1: Find the “Content Detection” Menu
First, log in to your church’s YouTube Studio on a computer. Look at the long menu on the far left side of your screen. Scroll down that list until you see Content detection. It has a little icon next to it that looks like a play button with a magnifying glass on its top right corner. Click on that.
Step 2: Start a New Takedown Request
Now look at the top middle of your screen. You will see a few different tabs. Click on the tab that says Removal requests.
After you click that, look all the way over to the far right side of your screen. You will see a button that says NEW REMOVAL REQUEST. Click that button to open the official legal form.
Step 3: Paste the Video Links
The form will ask you to provide two links (URLs) so YouTube knows exactly which video was stolen.
Under “Video requested for removal,” paste the web address of the stolen video that we identified for you.
Under “Original work,” paste the web address of your church’s actual, original YouTube video to prove it belongs to you.
Step 4: Fill Out Your Contact Info
Fill in the boxes asking for the copyright owner details. You must use your church’s official legal name, your actual role (like “Media Director” or “Church Volunteer”), and the church’s real phone number and email address.
Step 5: Choose How Fast to Remove It
Scroll down to “Removal Options”. YouTube gives you two choices:
- Standard: This asks YouTube to delete the video immediately and issues a severe penalty to the offending channel.
- Scheduled (7-Day Notice): This gives the uploader 7 days to delete the video themselves.
If they do it, the video disappears, but they avoid a permanent penalty.
(CMPA Tip: The 7-Day Notice is highly recommended! It is a highly effective way to enforce your boundaries while extending grace to channels that may have simply made a mistake.)
Step 6: Legally Certify & Submit
STOP AND VERIFY: Only proceed with this step if the offending video is a direct copy of your church’s content or a raw, unedited segment of it.
If the video uses your clip alongside analysis, commentary, or arguments (even if they are negative or against your message), this is protected by Fair Use.
Carefully review the legal agreements at the bottom. By clicking the checkboxes, you are legally confirming under penalty of perjury that your claim is accurate and not an abuse of the system.
Filing a false claim against Fair Use content can result in severe penalties for your church, including account termination and legal liability.
If you are certain it is theft, type your full real name in the signature box, and click the SUBMIT button at the top right of the page.
That’s it! YouTube will process the request and email you the results.