Those of you who have checkered driving records are familiar with the concept of traffic school. Google has decided to take that concept and move it to the Internet with the introduction of YouTube Copyright School, which will now be required for users who upload videos that are taken down due to copyrighted content.

In the past, YouTube has simply suspended the accounts of users who uploaded three videos that sparked copyright complaints. (It's important to note that not all videos with copyrighted content spark complaints. For example, YouTube sometimes notifies you that your video contains music that belongs to a certain record company, but there are no consequences to you because of whatever licensing deal that has been worked out.) However, as the company wrote on the official YouTube Blog, this one-size-fits-all policy hasn't been perfect—especially for regular YouTube users.

"Consider, for example, a long-time YouTube user who received two copyright notifications four years ago but who’s uploaded thousands of legitimate videos since then without a further copyright notification," the company wrote. "Until now, the four-year-old notifications would have stayed with the user forever despite a solid track record of good behavior, creating the risk that one new notification—possibly even a fraudulent notification—would result in the suspension of the account."

That's where Copyright School comes in. Users can now remove certain strikes from their YouTube record after they watch a campy-but-amusing Copyright School video (I didn't know you could use a touchscreen phone with a hook for a hand) and complete the accompanying quiz. When combined with a "solid demonstrated record of good behavior over time," a loyal YouTube user can ensure that his or her account won't get suspended over a few videos that infringe or skirt the lines of fair use.

YouTube reserves the right to keep your strikes on record if the situation warrants it, but it's clear the company is making an effort to throw a bone to its loyal user base. And users can still dispute the copyright notices and file counter-notifications if their content has been misidentified as infringing, so those who believe they're operating within the confines of US copyright law still have a few options before they're forced to take a quiz and wait for "teacher" approval.