This is posted as information hopefully helpful for those who've posted Sparlock videos, or other IP (intellectual property) which is owned by WTBTS, and have received a DMCA takedown notice from YouTube (YT).
I host many vids on YT, and have much first-hand experience with the dreaded DMCA takedown process, largely thanks to a video that was posted by me years ago that gets alot of traffic (currently 700k hits) and is subject to recurring take-downs notices from NBC Universal (it is an SNL skit that I use as a launching point for a discussion of the principles of sexual harrassment law. NBC Universal has a HUGE skyscraper in L.A./N.Y., teeming with IP lawyers: this is what they do to earn their keep). I've talked to IP lawyers, just to make sure I understood the process (which is easy to handle yourself).
Disclaimer: I am NOT a lawyer: spend your own $$$ on legal advice, if you are in doubt.
The first thing to realize is that the takedown process largely is automated by YT, wherein content owners (networks, movie studios, corporations, etc) submit a DVD or video footage of their protected work(s), which is automatically screened against existing and uploaded YT user videos looking for a finger-print "match" of the footage. If YT's Content Cop Bots find a match, the take-down process begins automatically, yanking the video in hopes the likely infringer freaks out, and doesn't attempt re-uploading (at the risk of losing their YouTube account, if they do. Your YT user account takes a 'hit' if you get a takedown notice filed against it, and DON'T fight it AND win).
Problem is, the bots cannot determine if the video actually IS Fair Use or not; that's a determination which ONLY can be made by a Fed Court. So YT's policy (which is in accord with Fed DMCA Safe Harbor provisions) is to take-down all possibly infringing content, and let the parties work it out.
THEREFORE, it behooves those who've used the potentially-infringing footage legally (i.e. as a Fair Use exception) to file a counter-notice, telling YT that you feel your use IS in fact Fair Use (public commentary, criticism, parody, etc; most Sparlock videos are critical of WTBTS, and most likely would qualify as public discussion and criticism of a religious belief for public benefit. Such IS a protected activity, a form of Freedom of Speech, where using the original for criticism purposes IS legal).
When you file a counter-notice, YT lets the content owner know that the ball is now in their court; they need to follow through by filing a suit in Federal Court within 5 (I think?) business days, suing the uploader for copyright infringement.
At that point, MOST content owners may evaluate the uploaded footage, and in my case, NBC Universal backed down, and DIDN'T file suit: they realized they likely would LOSE a copyright infringement lawsuit, as I was careful to comply with ways to support my claim of Fair Use (eg 'de minimus' usage of the protected footage, I described the Fair Use claim in the description, I didn't monetize the video, and chose a category like 'non-profit' or 'education' when uploading, enabled user comments). So after NBC failed to file suit, they retracted their claim, and the video went back up after 5 days: my account status went back to normal.
The bad news is that YT apparently allows the content bots to periodically re-issue takedowns, EVEN THOUGH the content owner didn't file suit! In the past 3 years, I think I've had 5 or 6 repeat takedowns filed, which is against the spirit of the DMCA takedown process, and constitutes abuse of process; that's classic double/multiple jeopardy, which IMO violates a tenet of Federal Law. I assume they're checking to see if I'm still alive, perhaps hoping that I won't respond with a counter-notice, and hence the video will be pulled down forever? It's like the Grim Reaper of DMCA, with content owners eventually reclaiming "their" footage from fair-use exceptions....