What to do if when you are defamed on YouTube
If you’ve been targeted by defamation on YouTube, there are legal ways to take action, ways that actually work if handled properly. At Cohen Davis, we specialise in this kind of work. We want you to understand what’s possible and how the law can help.
What counts as defamation on YouTube
Why DIY YouTube defamation removal requests fail and how legal help gets results
How YouTube and Google handle removal requests
Do you want to remove a YouTube video worldwide? – This is how it is done
Can you use data protection and privacy laws to remove a defamatory YouTube video
Harassment and repeated attacks on YouTube as a reason for a removal request
Legal advice to help you remove defamatory YouTube videos from YouTube
What counts as defamation on YouTube
Defamation means someone has said or implied something false about you that harms your reputation. On YouTube, this might be a video filled with lies, a misleading documentary-style post, impersonation of your identity, or even damaging remarks in the comments section.
Defamation on YouTube can include people pretending to be you, spreading gossip as though it were fact, or making statements that imply something harmful without directly saying it. This is especially common when innuendo is used to create a defamatory meaning. Another problem arises when people present opinions or speculation as if they were proven facts, leading viewers to believe things that simply aren’t true.
Not everything negative is defamatory. Opinions, satire and unpleasant truths don’t usually meet the legal test. What does qualify, is when someone presents false claims as facts, knowing (or not caring) that these claims could damage your life, career, or business.
Why DIY YouTube defamation removal requests fail and how legal help gets results
If you’ve just seen a defamatory video about you, don’t wait. The longer it stays online, the more people will see it and the harder it becomes to contain the damage. Many people try to deal with YouTube themselves at first. They fill out the forms, write explanations and hit submit. More often than not, their request gets rejected. The reason? YouTube’s review process is largely automated.
Most requests go through a system that uses set criteria and standard wording. If the words in your submission don’t match what the system expects, or if the legal explanation doesn’t tick the exact boxes in Google’s internal guide for removing content, your case gets dismissed automatically. No one takes a second look.
Even when your request does reach a real person, it may land in front of someone with limited legal training. Google’s caseworkers rely on internal manuals and default assumptions. They often misunderstand how UK defamation or data protection law works, especially when it differs from laws in the US or elsewhere. They might wrongly treat your case as a matter of free speech rather than unlawful harm.
We also see issues where the caseworker assumes the content is simply a “dispute” or “opinion,” especially if the explanation isn’t laid out clearly enough. In many places, including a fair number of states in the USA, there is no straightforward civil wrong for defamation as there is in the UK. So when you raise defamation as a legal ground, YouTube’s content moderators—who may be based elsewhere—might understand the concept in a completely different way than someone in the UK would. This mismatch in legal understanding often leads to confusion, misclassification, or outright rejection of valid claims.
If the right legal arguments aren’t made in the right way, your request won’t go anywhere. That’s why early legal support is so important. We know how Google structures its decisions to remove content. We know what phrases and evidence work and which ones get overlooked. By presenting your case properly from the start, we stop the video from being dismissed as just “contentious commentary” and get it seen for what it really is—unlawful and damaging. Waiting too long, or trying and failing on your own, can also make it harder later on.
Once a rejection is logged, it sets a precedent. You then have to undo that decision before getting any progress, which often means more delay and more damage. Taking action quickly, with the right legal team, gives you the best chance of success. It puts you in control of the process from the beginning and helps protect your reputation before the harm becomes widespread.
How YouTube and Google handle removal requests
Google owns YouTube, and it has clear policies about removing videos requests but these aren’t simple or fast unless the request hits all the right points. Google’s content moderation is guided by a mix of algorithmic filtering, internal decision-making protocols and instructions issued to human caseworkers. The system is designed to scale globally, which means much of it is automated or relies on rigid criteria. This helps manage volume, but it also leads to many legitimate requests being misclassified or rejected.
For defamation, Google expects precise legal reasoning backed by evidence. You must clearly show that the content breaks the law in your jurisdiction in order for Google to remove videos from Youtube. In the UK, this typically means proving the video makes false factual claims that have caused genuine harm to your reputation. A well-drafted legal argument, sometimes supported by a court order or pre-action correspondence, can significantly improve your chances of success.
However, internal assumptions often influence how caseworkers interpret reports. If your complaint is vague or framed as a dispute rather than a breach of law, it may be rejected outright. Google’s staff are trained to favour free expression and may not fully understand the nuances of UK law, such as the difference between opinion and false factual statements or the seriousness of insinuation and innuendo. Other grounds, like data protection breaches or counterfeit goods, are often more straightforward.
If a video discloses private information without consent, or promotes fake products that infringe on trademarks, these cases align more directly with Google’s takedown criteria. These types of content usually fall under clearer policy breaches and often get quicker results. In short, unless your request fits Google’s playbook precisely—and anticipates how content moderators will apply that playbook—it’s likely to fail. That’s why understanding both the legal standards and Google’s internal processes is critical when trying to remove harmful content from YouTube.
Do you want to remove a YouTube video worldwide? – This is how it is done
One of the biggest challenges with YouTube defamation is that the content doesn’t stop at borders. A video uploaded in one country can go viral across others. This raises a problem because defamation laws differ depending on where you are. Some countries require proof of malice. Others only ask whether the content caused damage. To get a video removed globally, we often need to show evidence that your reputation was harmed in each of the countries where the content was seen. That may include testimonials, press coverage, or business references. The more complete the evidence, the better the result.
In some cases, though, it might not be enough to have the defamatory video delisted or blocked from UK or EU searches. You might want it gone altogether from the YouTube or Google network. Achieving this kind of total removal is challenging, but not impossible. It often requires building a case that meets the legal and policy thresholds in multiple jurisdictions, supported by strong evidence of reputational harm and violations of platform rules. With careful legal strategy, total takedown is possible.
How to utilise trademark and counterfeit content complaint to have a defamatory YouTube video removed
When a YouTube video uses your brand name or logo in a misleading or illegal way, it might be a trademark case instead of defamation. Even if the video is framed as criticism or commentary, using your company’s logo or trademark can still amount to trademark misuse. This is especially relevant when the intention is to damage your company’s reputation while also using your name or logo to manipulate search engine results—placing the defamatory content high in Google or YouTube rankings. In such cases, trademark infringement may be the most effective legal ground for removal.
These types of videos often breach YouTube’s intellectual property policies, and if we can show that your trademark is being misused to mislead viewers or boost malicious content’s visibility, YouTube is more likely to act. However, the request must be framed carefully. If it appears as though you are trying to silence fair criticism or stifle public interest discussion, content moderators may reject the request, arguing the video qualifies as fair use or is protected as commentary.
Legal complaints must clearly show that the use of the trademark is deceptive or serves no legitimate purpose other than to harm or mislead. With the right approach, we can often shift the outcome in your favour.
Can you use data protection and privacy laws to remove a defamatory YouTube video
In some cases, it’s better to rely on privacy or data protection law than defamation. If someone has shared your name, address, phone number, health records, or other private details without consent, that’s a breach of GDPR and likely a breach of your right to privacy. This route often succeeds where defamation claims don’t. You don’t need to prove malice or public harm—just that your personal data was used without permission.
It’s one of the most powerful tools we have under English and European law. YouTube is also far more likely to remove content based on breaches of privacy or data than on claims of defamation. The main reason is that privacy and data protection laws create direct legal obligations on platforms like YouTube. If they ignore a valid complaint, they could themselves be in breach of the law. That creates a legal risk for them, so they tend to act quickly when those claims are properly raised. In fact, framing a complaint purely as defamation can sometimes reduce your chances of success.
If your case includes a privacy or data breach, highlighting that first may be the best strategy. In situations where removal should be relatively straightforward based on misuse of data or unlawful disclosure of private information, leading with defamation may only delay or complicate things.
Harassment and repeated attacks on YouTube as a reason for a removal request
Sometimes, the goal of a video isn’t just to lie, but to cause pain. If someone uploads video after video, or makes repeated aggressive comments, that can amount to an online harassment case. Even if some of what they say is technically true, the pattern of behaviour might give you legal grounds to take action.
UK law protects people from this kind of persistent targeting. We can help you collect the right evidence and frame the legal claim in a way that supports a harassment case as well as a defamation one. Recent case law initiated by our firm has resulted in precisely this type of YouTube harassment being declared unlawful by the courts, reinforcing the legal recognition of such behaviour as actionable misconduct. These rulings set strong precedent and further strengthen the likelihood of a successful outcome when handled properly.
Legal advice to help you remove defamatory YouTube videos from YouTube
If you’ve been defamed on YouTube, you don’t have to accept it. There are legal tools available that, when used correctly, work. At Cohen Davis, we deal with YouTube cases every day. We understand the pressure it causes so we act fast to protect your rights. Don’t let damaging content define you. Speak to us and take back control of your reputation.