But seriously you can’t steal earnings.
He can and should immediately go to a lawyer to get his income IN FULL.
It’s theft by definition, you can’t keep someone else’s earnings.
YT/Goog is only the middle man too. This is a clear violation of worker’s rights.
When someone gets your work/income for free? That’s called slavery.
Also an argument for tortious interference, for preventing him from working with advertisers. It’s an obstruction.