Popular YouTuber and gaming creator Tom “Syndicate” Cassell says thousands of videos across his channel have been hit with copyright claims after the rights to a song he used in his outro were reportedly sold to a new owner.
The creator explained that the music had previously been licensed for use in his content, but claims began appearing after the song’s rights were acquired by another party. The issue affects a substantial portion of Syndicate’s video library, which spans more than a decade of uploads covering gaming, vlogs and livestream highlights.
A common problem for long-time creators
Many veteran YouTubers face the same issue when using licensed music in content that remains online for years after publication.
Even when a creator had permission to use a track at the time a video was uploaded, ownership of music catalogs can later change through acquisitions, licensing deals, or rights transfers. When that happens, older videos may be automatically identified through YouTube’s Content ID system and become subject to new claims.
For channels with large back catalogs, manually editing or disputing thousands of videos can be difficult and time-consuming.
Syndicate’s long YouTube history
Syndicate is one of YouTube’s longest-running gaming creators and was among the first generation of gaming personalities to build a massive audience on the platform. His channel grew through content centered on games such as “Call of Duty” and “Minecraft,” eventually accumulating millions of subscribers and billions of views.
Because many of those uploads featured the same outro song, the copyright issue has reportedly affected years of archived content rather than a small number of recent videos.
Copyright claims continue to be a frequent source of frustration for creators, particularly when older content is involved. YouTube’s Content ID system automatically scans videos against copyrighted material submitted by rights holders, allowing owners to monetize, track, or block matching content.
While the system is designed to protect copyright owners, creators have long argued that ownership changes and automated claims can create complications for videos that were uploaded under different licensing arrangements.
Featured image courtesy: Life of Tom