Upon receipt of unsolicited email from unrecognised parties (THEM) claiming to be notifying the recipient (YOU) of "illegal" content on their (YOUR) YouTube, Twitch, TikTok etc., the response must always be a simple and business-like, words to the effect of;
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
To ensure this matter is dealt with correctly, please submit details to [Service Provider] using their [copyright/complaints form/process].
DO NOT, EVER;
- Respond angrily or emotionally with protests of any kind.
- Otherwise remark in any way that could be reasonably interpreted as a threat or threateningly.
- Click on any links, or download any files, sent by the would-be claimant.
- Contact anyone they might suggest without first verifying that information (if at all possible).
- Send 'proof' of innocence, i.e. files or other source materials [1].
In other words, if an emailed complaint references 'illegal music' in a video uploaded to YouTube, the recipient (YOU) should direct the claimant (THEM) to use YouTubes Report feature to flag a specific video or videos, or to their Copyright Complaint Form (https://www.youtube.com/copyright_complaint_form) [2] where they can submit details of a claim.
There are a number of reasons for doing this;
- Keeps everything professional and business-like (formal).
- Establishes and maintains an indipenant record of events that can be later used in Court.
- Uses the Service Providers own tools, which they use to keep account of a given Users activities on the platform [3].
If the claim, and Claimant, is legitimate, they will take the time to submit a complaint through official channels. If not, they'll likely not respond again.
Finally, it does not go without saying, Copyright Complaints initiate a legal process Content Creators need to stay on the right side of no matter how put-out they may feel, so make sure to dot the i's and cross the t's to maintain standing against spurious, vexatious and vacuous complaints [4].
Footnotes:
[1] NEVER respond to claims by sending any other than a redirection or counter notice. NEVER send files or other material as these can be used to prove the Claimant the originator.
[2] For more information on YouTube's Copyright claimant process see here https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2807622
[3] Do not underestimate the importance of using the tools Service Providers make available for complaints as they do not necessarily like matters being taken out of their hands when it concerns their services, to the extent that they may then penalise Users arbitrarily, retoractively justified as Terms of Service or Community Guideline abuse.
[4] This is especially important now that copyright complaints have been weaponised, used as a tool to remove disagreeable content from the Internet. Being sure to maintain the integrity of the process increases the chances of false, erroneous and malicious complaints being quickly recognised for what they are and dealt with as such.
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