Facebook has strict policies when it comes to copyright infringement and unauthorized use of copyrighted content. Users are expected to comply with Facebook’s Terms of Service and Community Standards, which prohibit posting content that violates someone else’s intellectual property rights. But despite these rules, copyright infringements still occur regularly on the platform.
When a rights holder believes their copyrighted content has been used without permission on Facebook, they can submit a copyright report through Facebook’s reporting tools. If Facebook determines that a user has repeatedly posted copyright infringing content, the user’s account may receive copyright strikes.
What is a copyright strike?
A copyright strike is an alert and penalty imposed on a Facebook account for sharing content that infringes on someone else’s copyright. Copyright strikes are issued when:
- A rights holder submits a valid copyright infringement report
- Facebook investigates and confirms that copyright infringement has occurred
- Facebook determines the infringing content needs to be removed from the platform
A single instance of copyright infringement does not always lead to a strike. Minor or unintentional infringements may result in content removal only. Strikes are issued for more serious or repeated violations.
How many strikes can you get before Facebook disables your account?
Facebook utilizes a three-strikes policy for copyright infringements:
- First strike: No account penalty beyond content removal. The infringing content is taken down and the user receives a copyright strike notification.
- Second strike: The user’s account is disabled for 24 hours. They cannot post, comment, or access Facebook during this time.
- Third strike: The user’s account is disabled for 72 hours. As with the second strike, they are unable to access their account.
- Fourth strike: The user’s account is permanently disabled. They lose access to the account and all its content.
So in summary, a Facebook user can receive up to three copyright strikes before their account is permanently disabled. The first strike is just a warning, but the penalties increase in duration with subsequent strikes.
What happens when you get a copyright strike?
Here’s a breakdown of what happens at each strike level:
First copyright strike
- The infringing content is removed from Facebook.
- The user receives a notification explaining they’ve received a copyright strike.
- The user’s account has no restrictions at this stage.
- The strike expires after 90 days if no further issues occur.
Second copyright strike (within 90 days of first strike)
- The infringing content is removed.
- The user receives a notification that their account is disabled for 24 hours.
- The user cannot access their account during the 24 hour disable period.
- The first strike expires as normal after 90 days if no other issues occur.
- The second strike expires after 180 days.
Third copyright strike (within 180 days of second strike)
- The infringing content is removed.
- The user receives a notification that their account is disabled for 72 hours.
- The user cannot access their account during the 72 hour disable period.
- The second strike expires as normal after 180 days if no other issues occur.
- The third strike expires after 180 days.
Fourth copyright strike (within 180 days of third strike)
- The infringing content is removed.
- The user receives a notification that their account has been permanently disabled.
- The user loses access to their account and all its content indefinitely.
So in summary, strikes lead to increasing account restrictions and ultimately permanent disablement for repeat or serial copyright infringers.
What content can get you a copyright strike?
Copyright strikes can be issued for unauthorized sharing of a wide range of copyright-protected content, including:
- Music recordings and compositions
- Videos, TV shows, and movies
- Images, artwork, and photography
- Written works like books, articles, poems
- Logos, brand names, slogans
- Computer software and code
- Original characters
- Recordings of live performances
Essentially, if someone created original content and holds the copyright to it, sharing or distributing it without permission could potentially lead to a copyright strike.
Examples of copyright violations on Facebook
Here are some common examples of copyright infringement that frequently occur on Facebook and often result in strikes:
- Reposting a news article in its entirety without permission
- Sharing music tracks or albums not uploaded by the artist
- Posting video clips or full movies without the copyright holder’s authorization
- Using an artist’s song in the background of a video without their consent
- Sharing professional sports broadcasts or footage
- Posting paparazzi photos of celebrities
- Uploading ebooks or PDFs of books not in the public domain
- Sharing copyrighted images, memes, or comics without attribution
How to avoid copyright strikes
It’s important for Facebook users to educate themselves on copyright law and follow best practices to avoid strikes. Here are some tips:
- Only upload and share content you created yourself or have explicit permission to post.
- Credit all sources – add attributions if you’re sharing content created by someone else.
- If sharing news or articles, only post snippets and headlines and link to the original source.
- Be cautious about what music or video clips you include in your uploads.
- Err on the side of asking for permission if you think something may be protected by copyright.
- Don’t re-share content if you’re uncertain of the copyright status.
- Remove content immediately if you receive any copyright notices or warnings.
Can you remove a copyright strike?
There is no direct way to remove or appeal a copyright strike on Facebook. Strikes will expire and be removed automatically after a set time period, provided no additional strikes occur.
The duration depends on the total number of strikes on the account:
- 1st strike – Expires after 90 days
- 2nd strike – Expires after 180 days
- 3rd strike – Expires after 180 days
So if you receive a single strike, it will be removed after 90 days. But if you get multiple strikes, each subsequent strike resets the timer.
While you cannot directly appeal the strikes themselves, you can submit an appeal if you feel your account was wrongfully disabled after receiving strikes. This involves contacting Facebook’s support team to request a review.
What happens when a copyright strike expires?
When a Facebook copyright strike eventually expires, the strike is removed from your account’s record:
- The copyright strike no longer counts against you.
- Your account standing is reset as if the strike never occurred.
- You do not have to take any action – the strike disappears automatically once the time period elapses.
However, the expiration timelines can be restarted if you receive any additional strikes. And other account restrictions related to the infringing content – such as being blocked from posting certain material – may remain in effect.
Can pages get copyright strikes too?
Yes, copyright strikes can be issued against Facebook pages as well as personal profiles. The process works similarly:
- Page owners receive warnings if copyright infringement occurs.
- Valid copyright notices lead to removal of the infringing content.
- Repeat or serious violations result in copyright strikes against the page.
- Enough strikes can lead to the page being unpublished or permanently deleted.
So while personal profiles receive temporary account disablements for strikes, pages face permanent take-downs for the same level of infractions. Page owners need to be very cautious about copyright compliance.
What happens if your page is unpublished?
If a Facebook page receives too many copyright strikes, it may be unpublished. This means:
- The page is completely removed and unavailable to visitors.
- No one can view, like, share or interact with the page.
- The page owner can still log in and view the page, but it remains hidden to everyone else.
Page owners can submit an appeal to try to get the page republished. However, it’s only possible if they agree to remove all infringing content and comply with Facebook’s copyright and terms policies going forward.
Can a copyright strike be removed from a page?
As with personal accounts, there is no way for page owners to directly remove copyright strikes from their page’s history. However, strikes do expire automatically if no additional issues occur during the following timeframes:
- 1st strike – Expires after 90 days
- 2nd strike – Expires after 180 days
- 3rd strike – Expires after 180 days
When a strike expires, the page standing returns to normal, as if the strike was never incurred.
What are the penalties for copyright infringement?
In addition to Facebook’s strike system and account restrictions, copyright infringement can have serious legal and financial consequences outside of the platform as well:
- You may be sued for substantial monetary damages by the rights holder.
- You could face criminal charges for willful or commercial copyright infringement.
- A court may order you to pay the copyright holder’s legal fees.
- An injunction could prohibit you from posting any copyrighted content.
- Your computer and devices could be seized if involved in sharing files.
- Your internet account could be terminated for repeat infringements.
That’s why it’s critical to educate yourself on copyright law and ensure you have permission for any content you share online, to avoid punitive consequences.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook uses a three strikes policy – copyright violators can receive up to three strikes before permanent account disablement.
- Strikes lead to escalating account restrictions but expire after set periods if no more occur.
- A wide range of content like videos, images, articles can prompt strikes when shared without permission.
- Best practices like only uploading original content and crediting sources can help avoid strikes.
- Pages also face strikes and can be unpublished or deleted for copyright infringements.
- Outside of Facebook, copyright violations can lead to serious legal penalties and damages.
Understanding Facebook’s copyright strike system and following proper copyright practices for sharing content can help you avoid account restrictions, legal issues and permanent suspension.
Conclusion
Facebook has implemented a clear-cut system to discourage copyright infringement on its platform. The three-strikes policy gives users warnings and temporary restrictions first, reserving permanent suspension only for the most egregious violators. While an imperfect system, it aims to balance copyright protection with allowing users to share content responsibly.
The threat of severing access to one’s network and content on Facebook is usually enough to make individuals think twice before re-sharing protected material without permission. However, everyone needs to educate themselves on lawful use of copyrighted works, as ignorance is no defense against legal consequences. If in doubt, always err on the side of caution and avoid re-posting content without explicit rights.