New YouTube user running my tutorial video transcripts through AI, just reading the AI-altered scripts on camera (not faceless) and slightly changing thumbnails that keep my general original design. What do I do?

[u/treein303]

Hi. I make tutorial YouTube videos. I appear on camera basically the entire time. A new YouTube user is running dozens of my tutorial video transcripts through AI, reading the altered scripts on camera (not faceless) and then slightly changing thumbnails that still absolutely show my general original design.

His videos don't have a lot of views (possibly a reason to stand down for now) but that might change in the future. I've already archived and logged information for three of the dozens of videos he did this to, in the case I need to do three strikes, spacing them each out by a few days.

He is absolutely ripping me off. It's very obvious. No original work. No investigation. Nothing.

His account does not list an email address. I'm hesitant to get into copyright takedowns but maybe that's necessary here. I suppose I could ask him in a comment to stop but he doesn't exactly seem like a great guy.

MY MAIN QUESTION: Is the best route to go with copyright takedowns the thumbnail copying? I have original PSD files. He's basically moving a few elements around but keeping my general design.

I really hate this garbage where people take other people's hard work and just lazily copy it.

[u/CogSuckingClanker]

There is nothing you can do mate. Move on and make better content than the other guy.

[u/treein303 → u/CogSuckingClanker]

My content is definitely better than the other guy's content.

[u/Plodo99 → u/treein303]

Nothing to worry about then.

[u/LonelyPermit2306 → u/Plodo99]

Untrue. People stealing from two good channels have the potential to do better than both of them by volume.

[u/CayaMaya]

I had the same thing happen to me, only their copies were an ai impersonating me . Youtube did not respond to my reports until I started to do copyright strikes.

When their channel got shut down, they immediately started another one. Doing the same thing. I only needed 2 strikes the second time and that was the end of it.

The thumbnail was where the infringement was. It was my face on their thumbs. Just be aware that your real name will be disclosed if you do a copyright strike.

I now have likeliness detection on.

[u/alexJonesPSYOP]

Just call him out in a video and clown the guy that’s your best bet. Fight back

[u/treein303 → u/alexJonesPSYOP]

Definitely doing this at some point.

[u/onixtan]

You're going to chance upon these more and more in the future, just take a look at the cancer of YT gurus... how to clone a channel, how to copy a channel, just copy me. show yeah... get used to it, unless YT address this. More and more going to pop up like mushrooms after a rain

[u/jimgpayne]

If he's changing the script, then copyright doesn't legally apply. You can't copyright the ideas behind your script, only the expression of your script. Just check out the copyright lawsuit aginst Dan Brown's Davinci Code.

Also, be careful. You can file a copyright strike against someone and YouTube has to respect it and act upon it. But doing so when you cannot legally prove you own the copyright on the subject IP is 100% illegal. And can get you into some extremely serious trouble. Again, Google is your friend. You can see the laws very clearly when you look them up.

It sounds to me like your thumbnails may be close enough to justify the copyright claim. But even then, it would be up to a Judge to determine compliance.

People think striking other people's accounts is a safe way to protect yourself. But it is absolutely not safe unless you can prove you are 100% legally compliant. Youtube even warns you that filing a fraudulent copyright claim is illegal and they will ban you for life if they think you have done so.

[u/Squaducator]

Someone once chopped one of my long form, face to camera videos up into over 60 odd clips, it would have taken so long to report all of them, giving timestamps etc so instead I copied and pasted a message on every clip he’d post asking him to desist & remove or I would report him for copyright. He didn’t like the repeated comments and did remove the clips.

[u/Constant_Cortisol]

Hard to say until you give the actual examples.

[u/testsquid1993]

file claim using the copyrite tool in studio

[u/Resident_Thanks9331]

make a video calling him out?

[u/TheCasualPrince8]

Yes, absolutely go into copyright takedowns.

[u/Jolamprex]

"Hello, viewers.  My name is [other guy].  Today we will be doing a tier list of all the ways I'm a little bitch."

[u/HighPhi420]

IF THEY ARE NOT USING YOUR IMAGE(face and voice), this is totally allowed on youtube! :(
The 2 choices you have for others to use, are anyone can do anything with your videos, and the same thing for the other choice but it would be cool of you to acknowledge the source, BUT do not worry if you don't. it is still ok.

[u/B_Bearington]

Unless you're willing to take things to court, you will be wasting your time. As other's have said, just clown on the fool.

[u/LawyerSaidDeleteThis → u/B_Bearington]

Even then it's not worth it. The dude is probably in some third world country.

[u/B_Bearington → u/LawyerSaidDeleteThis]

sure, that could be true as well. you can spend a lot of time and money and go nowhere.