Is It Legal to Download YouTube Videos? Let’s Find It Out!

Jack

By Jack

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is it legal to download youtube videos

YouTube is the most popular video-sharing platform in the world, and there is no doubt about it. YouTube belongs to Google, generating massive amounts of money through advertising.

You can watch YouTube videos for free and often watch some advertisements in return. If you don’t want to see these occasional advertisements, you can even subscribe to YouTube Red.

However, you can avoid advertisements and paid subscriptions if you download YouTube videos, can’t you? But is it legal to download YouTube videos? The exact purpose of this article is to explain this aspect. So, read on.

Undoubtedly, Google doesn’t want to download the content available on YouTube. Apart from protecting the earning potential, this is a step to protect the copyrights of the content owners.

So, in a nutshell, YouTube doesn’t want users to download its content. That is exactly why you cannot find apps for Android (which belongs to Google) to download YouTube videos.

If you intend to use YouTube videos for personal use only, it is not illegal. However, it is unethical for a person to download someone else’s YouTube video without that person’s permission.

Also, if you download a YouTube video and use it for commercial purposes, that’s illegal. So, have that in mind if you wonder how to download YouTube videos uploaded by someone else.

If you download YouTube videos to avoid quality loss and excessive data consumption, that’s fine. Also, it is okay to download YouTube videos to avoid advertising. However, you should know that ad blockers can be used to avoid annoying ads within the videos. Also, it is legal to use those ad blockers. Moreover, you can easily skip the ads (after a couple of seconds) in most cases.

Nevertheless, you should consider the fact that there are plenty of people who make videos to earn money. They actually earn money through the advertisements that appear in their video files. If you download and use their videos for commercial purposes, that’s surely an unethical approach.

You should also remember that downloading a video from YouTube breaches Google’s ToS. This is stated in section 5.1. As per their ToS, you are not permitted to view YouTube videos on external sources other than Google’s apps.

That means you cannot view a downloaded video on your iPad, iPhone, or Android device. Also, you cannot use it on your laptop or a PC using a third-party app.

These apps will start to appear on the web, and people will use them to avoid advertisements. The apps you use to download YouTube videos will be introduced on a constant basis. That means newer apps will appear quite often. Google cannot prevent these apps from appearing on the web, and as a result, the options are many.

Eventually, it comes to the point where you have to decide whether or not to download YouTube videos. In other words, you can decide whether or not to download YouTube videos for personal use.

Besides, here, you will find out are URL to MP3 converters legal.

One of the most important things you should consider when downloading YouTube videos is copyright protection. If you download a video from YouTube and use it for commercial purposes, that could cause problems.

One might wrongfully assume that downloading a commercial video for free is not that troublesome. However, the truth is that media companies don’t want to distribute all of their content for free. In fact, they actually make money over these videos, and if you distribute them for free, they lose.

In a nutshell, media companies are not to give away their stuff for free. If more and more people start to download videos for free, the creators of the videos will run at a loss. If it continues as a trend, the respective company may close down some time or another.

When it comes to the subject of piracy, Google is very strict about it. In fact, Google encourages users to stay focused on the aspects of copyright. Do you want to download a video or a soundtrack belonging to some other company or person without permission? And do you intend to use it for commercial purposes?

Well, in that case, things can go wrong with you drastically. So, you must be very careful to stay away from such issues when using stuff downloaded for free.

That said, we don’t want to describe everything about online piracy in this article section. We, however, encourage you to stay away from potential wrongful acts you are tempted to do. Even if you download some videos or music tracks, you shouldn’t use them for commercial purposes.

Instead, you can just have them enjoy themselves and keep them for yourself. You should never distribute such stuff (even for free) or gain financial benefits from them. To earn revenue or distribute such content, you must have permission from the copyright owner.

How to Download Videos and Music from Youtube Legally

In the previous section of our article, we have explained the legitimacy of downloading YouTube videos. That means now you know it is legal to download YouTube videos.

With that knowledge, let’s move into the aspect of downloading videos and music from YouTube. In this case, we will have to use a special tool called iTubeGo Video Downloader. This powerful tool is capable of downloading and converting videos to any format you prefer.

Apart from playing the role of a video downloader, this tool can perform a variety of other tasks as well. With this tool, you will be able to download YouTube videos totally free, so this is a must-have tool. Although there are plenty of tools to download videos from YouTube, iTubeGo is an impressive option.

Besides, it can preserve the quality of the video during the download as well as during the conversion. That means you get the original video quality even if the file is downloaded and converted. In addition, it comprises unique features for you to use for various purposes.

iTubeGo

Features of iTubeGo Video Downloader

Now, let’s look at the most notable features associated with this tool.

  • One-click operation to download 4K UHD videos and 1080p videos conveniently.
  • It can download videos from more than 10,000 video-sharing sites.
  • This software works 3X faster compared to other downloading tools.
  • You can use it to record streaming videos that cannot be downloaded.
  • Apart from downloading, it supports conversion as well. It can convert videos into 153 media. Formats depend on your requirement.
  • It comes with a built-in video player.
  • This tool doesn’t cause any quality loss during download or conversion.

In this section of our article, we will explain how to avoid potential legal issues. In fact, you should know that copyright law is a very strict and strong one. However, there are a couple of ways to avoid these consequences.

As the first thing, you should get hold of the copyright law for YouTube. Then, you should take your time and read it through. Try to understand pretty much everything on the content. With that, you will clearly understand copyright law and its basic details.

It will define how you will violate the law and the potential legal consequences you might face. Once you are fully aware of the legal aspects of video downloading, you will think twice before committing it.

is it legal to download youtube videos

Do you know that there is a term called ‘Fair use‘ related to YouTube? Well, it is always better for you to have good knowledge about this term to keep troubles away. The term ‘Fair Use’ is the term that describes the restrictions applied by copyright laws. If you adhere to the ‘Fair Use’ policy, you can easily stay away from potential issues that might happen.

If you intend to use a copyrighted video through YouTube, this ‘Fair Use’ policy is exceptionally important. In other words, as long as you understand the copyright laws and you abide by them, no problems will occur.

After reading the ToS, you will think that it is completely illegal to download YouTube videos. Well, YouTube doesn’t have a download button. But just because it doesn’t have a download button, there are ways to download YouTube videos. So, you don’t want to think that it is completely illegal to download a video from YouTube.

Just because there is no download button, so come to conclusions quickly. Have the term ‘Fair Use’ in mind and read the next paragraph. In fact, there is a way to use videos without the permission of the owners and without infringing copyrights.

  • You can download and reuse YouTube videos if you use them as materials for research and teaching purposes. Also, it will be ok if you use the downloaded videos for criticism, commentary, and news reporting. Under such circumstances, it will fall under ‘fair use.’
  • If you are prepared to give a copyright to the owners to transfer the protected content, that’s fair use.
  • Some of the users create new videos using downloaded YouTube videos as original materials. The outcome will be a new video that is enriched by the downloaded content. For instance, if you create a parody of a movie clip just for the purpose of entertainment, that’s fine. If not, if you use the edited videos for non-profit purposes, you are on the safe side. All of those situations will be described as fair use.
  • It is also possible to use a video under fair use by posting a statement. In that case, the statement should be something like ‘no copyright infringement intended’ whenever you use a YouTube video.
  • Moreover, it is needless to mention that you can download videos from YouTube if they belong to you. For instance, if you have created a video clip and you have uploaded it to YouTube, you can re-download it. Under such conditions, no copyright infringement occurs because the video belongs to you, and no one will question it.

So, that’s about copyright infringement, piracy, and fair use policy.

FAQs

  1. Can I download YouTube videos for personal use?
    • Yes, downloading YouTube videos for personal use is allowed in some cases, such as when the option is provided by the video’s creator or through YouTube Premium.
  2. Can I download YouTube videos if I give credit to the original creator?
    • Giving credit to the original creator does not automatically grant permission to download the video. It is essential to have explicit authorization or use the video under fair use guidelines.
  3. Is it legal to download YouTube videos if they are not available for offline viewing?
    • No, downloading YouTube videos that are not available for offline viewing is generally considered a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service and copyright laws.
  4. Can I download YouTube videos using third-party apps or websites?
    • Downloading YouTube videos using third-party apps or websites that bypass YouTube’s restrictions is usually against YouTube’s Terms of Service and may involve copyright infringement.
  5. What are the consequences of downloading YouTube videos illegally?
    • Downloading YouTube videos illegally can lead to legal consequences, including potential lawsuits and fines. It also undermines the rights of content creators and exposes users to security risks.

Conclusion

We hope that we have answered the question, ‘is it legal to download YouTube videos‘ successfully. If you need any assistance related to this matter, please let us know. You can leave us feedback or ask any questions using the comments section below. Thanks for reading.

Jack
Jack

Ten years of experience in information and computer technology. Passionate about electronic devices, smartphones, computers, and modern technology.

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