Step 1 is dispute claim.
Step 1A is the claimant choosing to release or reinstate the claim.
Step 2, if they reinstate the claim, you can "appeal".
Step 2A, the claimant can either release the claim, or file a formal DMCA notice.
Step 3, if they file a formal DMCA notice-- you can file a DMCA counter-notification.
Step 3A, if they disagree, they can sue.
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12104471#zippy=%2C...
Is it? If it's more expensive for them to get it right, then maybe not getting involved in the adjudication makes sense.
It does seem like a great reason for creators to not publish on YouTube, however.
Once there is sufficient competition I would expect them to start adjudicating.
And before someone jumps in and blames the money train, capitalism, etc. Please let me know how you would run a business that is not profitable. The money to pay salaries has to come from somewhere.
Personally I'd like to see them aimed at regional broadband ISP monopolies first, since that is an underlying infrastructure for the services we use.
I'm not sure where the FTC is on this, but I know the focus in media has shifted in recent years from Comcast etc. to FAANG. Perhaps that's because the problems from the platform-based monopolies enabled by ISPs are closer and thus more apparent to us. Or, maybe it's a campaign propped up by ISPs to take the focus off of them.
From a customer's perspective, it seems they take the money and run to the bank. Where competition is low, and that's a lot of places, so is the quality of customer service and the provided speeds. Fees can be high, and for the last 20 years they've been trying to figure out how to get even more money by gutting net neutrality. They can be very aggressive on this [1], and there aren't really any significant repercussions. You probably don't want to fine a company out of existence, and any fine you do apply doesn't mean much if they get to keep their customers.
These ISP and content conglomerates have just gotten too big, and I think it's biting us in the form of tech monopolies that sit atop them.
The FCC is trying to redefine broadband to be 100 Mbps [2]. Almost certainly, the 2 republican commissioners will vote against that, and the democratic commissioners will vote for it. So it won't pass until the final FCC chair is filled, which Manchin is stalling in the senate [3].
Chances are it comes down to midterms. It's an important issue, the challenge is making it relatable to the public amidst other issues.
[1] https://youtu.be/BEXuK073bkE?t=749
[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/19/fcc-bro...
[3] https://www.axios.com/2022/06/03/biden-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn...
Else, we could skip straight to 3A (which is still them not being involved, and it is their legal obligation to maintain safe harbor under DMCA).
Cynical hat firmly in place, you could go a step further and just say that if it's more expensive for them to do it fairly then this is actually "right" from their point of view...
If they don't sue the purported infringer, Google treats the original copyright complaint as invalid and releases the strike.