Lots of people employ third-party tools to download YouTube videos—only is it legal to practice and then?

Sometimes, the case is clear-cutting (for example, downloading Television shows or music videos is illegal), just what about other types of content? Is it always illegal to download YouTube videos, or are there occasions when y'all're allowed to practice so?

Let'southward 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'southward the question of how YouTube views the situation. On the other, there are the national laws of the country in which the downloading is taking place.

So, we'll start with YouTube. When you watch a video on YouTube, you concur to abide by the visitor'south terms.

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

You are non allowed to [...] access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use any function of the Service or whatsoever Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the corresponding rights holders.

There'south no room for interpretation; YouTube explicitly forbids you from downloading videos unless you have permission from the company itself.

Tin can YouTube Ban Yous for Downloading Videos?

If y'all contravene the Terms of Service, YouTube has a range of legal options available to it. Theoretically, everything from a ban to a ceremonious lawsuit could be on the table.

That said, YouTube has never sued anyone for downloading content. Several years ago, the company did consider suing 1 of the largest YouTube video downloaders (YouTube-MP3.org) for breach of the Terms of Service, but backed down later the site refused to budge.

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

Is Downloading YouTube Videos Against the Police force?

youtube downloader

We've learned that YouTube doesn't like video downloaders, even if information technology may be happy to turn a blind heart to them for now. But what about the police force? Are you committing a crime if you download a video from YouTube?

As is oft the way—it depends. Let's look at how Us law views the downloading of YouTube videos.

When Is Downloading YouTube Videos Illegal?

In the United States, copyright law dictates that it is illegal to make a copy of content if you practice non have the permission of the copyright owner.

That applies to both copies for personal use and to copies that yous either distribute or financially benefit from.

As such, downloading Television series, movies, sports clips, or whatsoever other copyrighted content on YouTube is breaking the law. It puts you at take a chance of facing a criminal trial. The situation is the same beyond the UK and the Eu.

In practise, the run a risk of facing a criminal lawsuit—especially as an individual—is extraordinarily slim, only you lot are breaking the constabulary regardless.

We've established that downloading video ways you lot're always breaching YouTube'due south terms. Nosotros likewise know that if yous download copyrighted content, you're breaking the law. Simply are in that location whatsoever times when it's legal to download YouTube videos?

Yep! You tin can employ third-political party YouTube downloaders to download videos for which the copyright laws exercise not apply, or videos for which the copyright grants you the correct to reproduce the video.

At that place are a few unlike types of videos yous tin 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 showtime. No one owns the video, meaning members of the public tin reproduce and distribute the content freely.
  • Creative Eatables: Creative Eatables applies to works for which the artist has retained copyright, but has given the public permission to reproduce and distribute the work.
  • Copyleft: Copyleft grants anyone the correct to reproduce, distribute, and modify the piece of work, every bit long as the same rights apply to derivative content. Read our article explaining copyright vs. copyleft if you lot would like to learn more.

With a bit of digging on YouTube, you tin can find lots of videos that autumn under one of the higher up categories. Remember, downloading the videos will nonetheless interruption YouTube's Terms of Service, but volition not found a criminal act.

The Moral Argument of Downloading Videos

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

In much the aforementioned manner that sites similar MUO rely on ads to go along providing readers with free content, many YouTube personalities alive off their channel revenues.

Past downloading the video and sharing information technology with friends offline, you deny the creator clicks, and by extension, reduce their income. In an extreme situation, the creator could sue for loss of earnings.

Are the Authorities Fighting a Losing Boxing?

A quick look at any search engine will reveal a bevy of sites, tools, and apps that let you download YouTube videos.

Information technology'southward probably why we've non heard from YouTube about whatsoever new lawsuits against the tools' operators. It appears that the company has decided that the difficulty of creating legally watertight cases against the sites is more problem than information technology's worth.

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

Equally was the example 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 shortly as one site is forced offline, a dozen new offerings pop up in its identify.

Let's epitomize what we've learned:

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

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