Lots of people use 3rd-party tools to download YouTube videos—but is it legal to do and then?

Sometimes, the example is clear-cutting (for example, downloading Television receiver shows or music videos is illegal), but what about other types of content? Is it ever illegal to download YouTube videos, or are there occasions when you're allowed to do and then?

Let's take a closer await at the legality of downloading YouTube videos.

What Does YouTube Say About Downloading Videos?

It'southward essential to differentiate the two sides of the question. On the one hand, there's the question of how YouTube views the situation. On the other, in that location are the national laws of the land in which the downloading is taking identify.

And then, nosotros'll start with YouTube. When y'all watch a video on YouTube, yous concur to abide by the visitor's terms.

Here's the important part of YouTube's Terms of Service:

You are not immune to [...] access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, brandish, sell, license, change, modify or otherwise employ any part of the Service or any Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the corresponding rights holders.

At that place's no room for estimation; YouTube explicitly forbids you from downloading videos unless you have permission from the company itself.

Tin YouTube Ban Y'all for Downloading Videos?

If you lot contravene the Terms of Service, YouTube has a range of legal options available to information technology. Theoretically, everything from a ban to a civil lawsuit could exist on the tabular array.

That said, YouTube has never sued anyone for downloading content. Several years agone, the company did consider suing one of the largest YouTube video downloaders (YouTube-MP3.org) for breach of the Terms of Service, simply backed downwards after the site refused to budge.

Interestingly, YouTube-MP3.org eventually shut down in 2017 after Sony Music and Warner Bros launched a copyright infringement lawsuit confronting it.

Is Downloading YouTube Videos Confronting the Constabulary?

youtube downloader

Nosotros've learned that YouTube doesn't like video downloaders, even if it may be happy to turn a bullheaded eye to them for at present. Only what most the law? Are you committing a crime if you download a video from YouTube?

As is often the style—it depends. Permit's expect at how Us police force views the downloading of YouTube videos.

When Is Downloading YouTube Videos Illegal?

In the The states, copyright law dictates that information technology is illegal to brand a copy of content if you lot exercise not have the permission of the copyright possessor.

That applies to both copies for personal use and to copies that you either distribute or financially do good from.

Every bit such, downloading TV series, movies, sports clips, or any other copyrighted content on YouTube is breaking the law. Information technology puts yous at risk of facing a criminal trial. The situation is the same across the UK and the European Marriage.

In practice, the gamble of facing a criminal lawsuit—especially as an individual—is extraordinarily slim, but you are breaking the law regardless.

Nosotros've established that downloading video means y'all're ever breaching YouTube's terms. We likewise know that if you lot download copyrighted content, you're breaking the law. But are there any times when it's legal to download YouTube videos?

Aye! You can employ third-political party YouTube downloaders to download videos for which the copyright laws do not utilise, or videos for which the copyright grants you the correct to reproduce the video.

In that location are a few different types of videos you can legally download on YouTube:

  • Public domain: Public domain works occur when the copyright has expired, been forfeited, been waived, or been inapplicable from the start. No one owns the video, meaning members of the public can reproduce and distribute the content freely.
  • Creative Commons: Creative Commons applies to works for which the creative person has retained copyright, merely has given the public permission to reproduce and distribute the work.
  • Copyleft: Copyleft grants anyone the right to reproduce, distribute, and modify the piece of work, every bit long equally the same rights apply to derivative content. Read our commodity explaining copyright vs. copyleft if y'all would like to learn more.

With a bit of excavation on YouTube, you can notice lots of videos that autumn under one of the above categories. Remember, downloading the videos volition still break YouTube's Terms of Service, but will not establish a criminal human activity.

The Moral Argument of Downloading Videos

Of course, in that location'south also a moral question surrounding the process of downloading YouTube videos.

In much the same fashion that sites like MUO rely on ads to keep providing readers with free content, many YouTube personalities live off their channel revenues.

By downloading the video and sharing it with friends offline, you deny the creator clicks, and past extension, reduce their income. In an farthermost situation, the creator could sue for loss of earnings.

Are the Authorities Fighting a Losing Boxing?

A quick expect at whatsoever search engine will reveal a bevy of sites, tools, and apps that permit yous download YouTube videos.

Information technology'due south probably why we've not heard from YouTube about any new lawsuits confronting the tools' operators. Information technology appears that the visitor has decided that the difficulty of creating legally watertight cases confronting the sites is more trouble than it's worth.

Anecdotal evidence even suggests many of the YouTube downloader sites are being allowed to run Google Ads. Possibly Alphabet is more concerned with monetizing those sites' vast traffic than penalizing them.

Equally was the case with piracy in the 2000s, the whole thing is developing into a game of whack-a-mole between the apps/sites/tools and Television receiver networks and record labels. As before long as one site is forced offline, a dozen new offerings pop up in its place.

Let's epitomize what we've learned:

  • Downloading videos from YouTube is in breach of YouTube'due south Terms of Service, and the company could sue you.
  • YouTube has shown no desire to penalize users for downloading videos.
  • Downloading copyrighted videos without permission is a criminal human action.
  • Some videos with the correct licenses are legal to download from a criminal standpoint.

And all of this probable applies to all the other video sites out there, and so be careful.

12 Video Sites That Are Better Than YouTube

Here are some alternative video sites to YouTube. They each occupy a dissimilar niche, but are worth adding to your bookmarks.

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About The Writer

Dan Toll (1606 Manufactures Published)

Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Managing director since July 2020. Attain out to him for inquires about sponsored content, chapter agreements, promotions, and whatever other forms of partnership. You can also find him roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas every year, say hi if you're going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.

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