Note: The information in this article applies to Clipchamp for personal accounts and the stock media assets you can add to videos. To learn how to access and use Clipchamp's work version, see this FAQ.
Microsoft Clipchamp provides access to thousands of stock audio, image and video files that you can use in your editing projects. When you export a video that contains stock files and you paid for them through one of our subscription plans, you have the right to use the resulting video for commercial and non-commercial purposes and share it freely on social media and other platforms. This content is cleared for use!
You may not, however, redistribute the individual underlying stock media files, use them in other editing programs, share, or sell them.
There are cases where Clipchamp users have been experiencing claims on social media sites and video platforms stating that their videos contain copyrighted materials and are therefore restricted, which we know can be frustrating.
This article contains information to help you understand why this is happening and what actions you can take to dispute these claims.
In many cases, the affected material is an audio track, which is why we're mostly referring to music, songs, or audio tracks in this article. The same information and suggestions to remove copyright claims apply to stock videos and image files. The platform where copyright claims may occur the most often is YouTube, which is why we're describing the claims dispute process for their site in more detail.
Clipchamp's audio library
The collection of stock media files and audio tracks you have access to in Clipchamp primarily comes from our stock media partner Storyblocks.
Tracks from the catalogue are fully licensed to be used in your video projects and to be shared on social media sites incl. YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
What is YouTube Content ID?
YouTube's Content ID system is a digital fingerprint tool designed to help content creators manage copyrighted material effectively. The tool scans copyrighted material and monitors its use on the platform.
When users upload videos, the Content ID system compares them with registered content to identify matches. For a more detailed explanation, see YouTube's help center.
Understanding copyright claims
Receiving a copyright claim isn't necessarily cause for alarm. It simply means the system has detected copyrighted material within your content that may belong to someone else. In many cases, these claims are necessary steps for authorizing your video and its contents with YouTube's Content ID system.
Why am I receiving claims if the music is "copyright-free"?
It may sound contradictory or confusing when copyright-free music still leads to claims and dealing with content claims can be frustrating, especially when you've put effort into crafting your content. Many users expect copyright-free music to be entirely free from restrictions.
However, YouTube (and Meta's in the case of Facebook and Instagram) systems currently are not designed to automatically recognize whether you have a license to use your music. As a result, in some cases you have to prove your rights to use the music after uploading.
Copyright claims can arise for various reasons. A common one is that a copyright owner may issue a claim for infringement, leading to the affected video getting blocked, audio track silenced, or to the video getting monetized by someone else with ads. However, if you've used one of our stock music files in your Clipchamp video, you have the license to use the file, and you can take action to get your uploaded content authorized.
How can I clear a claim on YouTube?
If your video has been flagged by YouTube's Content ID system, our media library provider Storyblocks can help you clear the claim so that you can use your video on YouTube without restrictions. To get their support,
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Go to the following Claims Dispute webform,
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Enter the details of your case, and
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Submit the form to Storyblocks.
This will allow their team to dispute the claim on your behalf and get your content cleared for use. This service is provided by Storyblocks and their rights management partner. After submitting the required information, Storyblocks will process your submission and attempt to authorize and release the claim you received for your uploaded video.
How do I solve a claim on Facebook?
For Facebook and Instagram, you'll need to personally dispute a copyright claim. Here's more information on the dispute process for Instagram and Facebook.
We recommend including a link to the stock media asset in question on Storyblock's website when you submit a dispute notice to Instagram or Facebook. To do so, look for the track name in Clipchamp, then search for this exact name on Storyblock's website, copy the web link of the entry from their site and add it to your dispute.
