Though, content creators are unlikely to file a case against the people who are illegally using their content as it is almost impossible to spot such people. As per this law, downloading copyrighted videos, movies, web series, etc., from YouTube is illegal and invites legal action from the actual owners. The copyright law of the United States clearly says that it is illegal to make a copy of the content without the permission of the copyright owner or the content creator, even for personal use.
Apart from that, depending on the region you are living in, copyright law can also cause you legal troubles if you download YouTube content through unofficial means. Going by YouTube’s terms and conditions, yes, it is totally illegal to download YouTube videos using third-party tools and websites. Is it illegal to download YouTube Videos? Other video streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others are using such technology, making their videos extremely challenging to rip from their official platforms. The only feasible solution is that YouTube can encrypt its videos so that they cannot be downloaded through third-party means. In simple words, if YouTube is losing $10 because of illegal downloads through apps and websites, it would cost them $11 to $12 to take legal action on such platforms. So, if YouTube tries to take illegal actions on all of them, it would cost them more effort and money than they are losing by not taking any action. It is like MCU villain organization Hydra. The reason is that such platforms are innumerable if you bring down one of them, ten more are ready to take its place. You might wonder if YouTube policy is against such practices, then why doesn’t YouTube ban or block such websites or applications? If you search for the YouTube video downloader on the internet, you will get thousands of multiplatform applications and websites that can download the YouTube video for you just by pasting its URL. So, if YouTube does not want its content to be downloaded and distributed through third-party tools, why doesn’t it take action on such applications or websites and their developers? Why does YouTube not take action on YouTube Downloader Platforms? On the app also only those videos can be downloaded for which the download icon is available.
You are only permitted to download the videos on the YouTube app. You shall not copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any Content for any other purposes without the prior written consent of YouTube or the respective licensors of the Content."Ĭlearly, YouTube does not want you to view or download its content from any third-party platforms. "You shall not download any content unless you see a 'download' or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that content. "Streaming" means a contemporaneous digital transmission of the material by YouTube via the Internet to a user-operated Internet-enabled device in such a manner that the data is intended for real-time viewing and not intended to be downloaded (either permanently or temporarily), copied, stored, or redistributed by the user." If you watch YouTube videos on the smartphone app or the web browser, you are bidden to agree on its terms and conditions, which clearly says: "You agree not to access Content for any reason other than your personal, non-commercial use solely as intended through and permitted by the normal functionality of the Service, and solely for Streaming. But the question is – Is it legal to download YouTube videos using such tactics?
Even though YouTube provides almost 95% of its videos for free to watch, many users use different third-party tools such as YTMP3 or YoutubeToMP3 to download the videos offline. But many platforms are taking undue advantage of YouTube’s content and creating hindrances in the way of content creators. With such immense popularity, YouTube has become a hub for content creators. In return for providing video content, YouTube earns through ads on videos, a percentage of the super chats the YouTube creators receive, and the YouTube Premium subscriptions.
Many people might wonder how YouTube earns revenues. According to a report, YouTube serves more than 2 billion users every month. Its search engine is the 2nd most used search engine in the internet world after its parent company Google’s search engine. YouTube is the most popular video content website on the internet. Every person who has ever used the internet might be aware of YouTube.