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How to Break YouTube (Copyright Claim your own video)

ymfah · 1.6M views · 2020-01-16 · 9:57

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Overview

A guide to using YouTube's Content ID by claiming your own videos through a distributor, so the claims share revenue with the creator and monetize re-uploads. It credits another creator who pioneered the method.

On Hacker News

HN cites it as an example of how easily the Content ID system can be gamed, mostly in copyright-claim discussions.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2020–2022

Topics

Internet culture & memesProduct, marketing & salesLaw, policing & justice
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content idcopyright claimsyoutube monetizationdmcacreators

What people said

cthor · 2022-07 · Reference

The self-claiming thing has at least been done already (through the use of online music labels): < [LINK] > and < [VIDEO] > YouTube doesn't let just anyone make ContentID claims and start trolling. You do need to jump through a few hoops to get an air of legitimacy first.

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norswap · 2020-03 · Reference

The situation is now so silly that some people are circumventing the system by copyright claiming their own videos: [VIDEO] This enable them to at least get some of the revenue of their video (by sharing with other (often bogus) claimants), and to monetize re-uploads (something normally available only to big channels). Why Google doesn't do anything about this mess is beyond me.

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Veedrac · 2020-03 · Reference

It's not just that it's easy, but that the theft is legal and profitable. You don't even need to be rich to do this, you just need stuff you can claim; see How to Break YouTube (Copyright Claim your own video). [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by ymfah, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

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HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

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