Defamation laws vary by country but usually concern content that damages the reputation of another person or business. Although the definition of defamation varies around the world, in general, defamation is any untrue statement that is harmful to someone's reputation or causes someone to be shunned or avoided.
We take into account local legal considerations in our defamation blocking process, and in some cases, we require a court order. For us to be able to process a defamation blocking request, the claim needs to be specific and strongly supported. For example, it needs to explain why you believe the statements are untrue and how it damages your reputation.
In some cases, uploaders willingly remove harmful content. Because obtaining a court order can be costly and time-consuming, we encourage users to contact the uploaders of the content in question directly.
If you are unable to reach the uploader, consider whether the video meets the standards for removal under our privacy or harassment policy.
If you've attempted to contact the uploader, and you believe a defamation claim is more appropriate than a privacy or harassment complaint, please select your country of dispute from the drop down below and follow the directions.
Please submit this form.
If you can't find your country in the drop down above
YouTube.com is governed by U.S. law.
Because we are not in a position to adjudicate the truthfulness of postings, we do not remove video postings due to allegations of defamation. Consistent with Section 230(c) of the Communications Decency Act, we recommend that you pursue any claims you may have directly against the person who posted the content. If you choose to pursue legal action against the content creator, note that we may be prepared to comply with any order requiring the content creator to remove the posting in question.
If there is a court order that involves content posted to youtube.com you may forward this via mail to the following address: YouTube, Inc., Attn Legal Support, 901 Cherry Ave., Second Floor, San Bruno, CA 94066.
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the uploader.
If you have a concern relating to copyright, please visit our Copyright Center. If you have an additional concern relating to YouTube Policy violations please visit our Reporting Center.