Software to Automatically Download Youtube Terms Updated FREE

Lots of people employ tertiary-party tools to download YouTube videos—just is it legal to exercise so?

Sometimes, the case is articulate-cut (for example, downloading TV shows or music videos is illegal), but what about other types of content? Is it always illegal to download YouTube videos, or are in that location occasions when you're allowed to do so?

Let'due south accept a closer wait at the legality of downloading YouTube videos.

What Does YouTube Say Almost Downloading Videos?

Information technology's essential to differentiate the two sides of the question. On the 1 hand, there's the question of how YouTube views the state of affairs. On the other, in that location are the national laws of the country in which the downloading is taking place.

So, we'll commencement with YouTube. When you watch a video on YouTube, you agree to abide by the company's terms.

Here's the of import function of YouTube'southward Terms of Service:

Y'all are not allowed to [...] access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use any part of the Service or whatsoever Content except: (a) as expressly authorized past the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicative, the respective rights holders.

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

Can YouTube Ban You 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 civil 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 alienation of the Terms of Service, but backed down subsequently the site refused to budge.

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

Is Downloading YouTube Videos Against the Police?

We've learned that YouTube doesn't like video downloaders, even if it may exist happy to turn a bullheaded centre to them for now. Merely what about the police force? Are you committing a crime if you download a video from YouTube?

As is often the way—it depends. Allow's wait at how US constabulary views the downloading of YouTube videos.

When Is Downloading YouTube Videos Illegal?

In the United States, copyright constabulary dictates that information technology is illegal to make a copy of content if you practise not accept the permission of the copyright owner.

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

As such, downloading Tv serial, movies, sports clips, or any other copyrighted content on YouTube is breaking the law. It puts you at gamble of facing a criminal trial. The situation is the same beyond the UK and the European Union.

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

When Is Downloading YouTube Videos Legal?

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

Yes! You can employ third-political party YouTube downloaders to download videos for which the copyright laws practise not apply, or videos for which the copyright grants y'all the right to reproduce the video.

There are a few different types of videos you 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 start. No one owns the video, significant members of the public tin reproduce and distribute the content freely.
Artistic Commons: Creative Commons applies to works for which the artist has retained copyright, just has given the public permission to reproduce and distribute the work.
Copyleft: Copyleft grants anyone the right to reproduce, distribute, and modify the work, as long as the same rights apply to derivative content. Read our article explaining copyright vs. copyleft if you would like to acquire more than.

With a chip of digging on YouTube, you tin find lots of videos that fall under one of the higher up categories. Remember, downloading the videos will still break YouTube's Terms of Service, just volition non establish a criminal act.

The Moral Argument of Downloading Videos

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

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

By downloading the video and sharing it 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 Battle?

A quick expect at any search engine will reveal a bevy of sites, tools, and apps that permit y'all download YouTube videos.

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

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

As was the instance with piracy in the 2000s, the whole thing is developing into a game of whack-a-mole between the apps/sites/tools and TV networks and tape labels. As soon as one site is forced offline, a dozen new offerings pop up in its identify.

Is It Legal to Download YouTube Videos?

Let's epitomize what we've learned:

Downloading videos from YouTube is in alienation of YouTube's Terms of Service, and the company could sue yous.
YouTube has shown no desire to penalize users for downloading videos.
Downloading copyrighted videos without permission is a criminal deed.
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.

12 Video Sites That Are Amend Than YouTube

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