A business presentation, a language course, a long and tedious bus trip… The list of reasons why you might need to download a video from YouTube might be endless. The emergence of this platform has significantly simplified our lives. There is hardly anyone nowadays who doesn’t use it.
While watching videos (or even movies and trailers) is the main purpose of the usage of YouTube, the question arises whether they can be downloaded. Indeed, many people wonder whether saving the videos on this platform on the phone or a laptop is not contrary to the law.
In this article, you will find the answer to this question. So, stay tuned.
First and foremost thing you should know is the fact that downloading videos from YouTube is not legal due to its Terms of Service. However, it is difficult and almost impossible for a company to prevent people from doing it. Nowadays, there are many programs and apps, like Bitdownloader that can help you download any video from YouTube very easily.
You will not get punished for the very act of downloading. However, the way you use the video is a deciding moment in the question we are talking about today. There are many google algorithms that identify piracy and, then, take measures against it. The punishment depends on the website.
If you have your own blog, it’s better not to use the videos that have been downloaded illegally. You can risk having your post deleted or the account being blocked. Instagram also tries to prevent people from using the audio and video materials that were downloaded not in a legal way. Even if you can download mp4 and mp3 files everywhere, such social networks like Instagram or TikTok will not let you use them in your post.
If you are a teacher or a professor, using a copyrighted material can cause issues too. Surely, it will simplify your work a lot. The lectures will be more interactive, interesting, and engaging. But most professors and teachers are not allowed to use the videos downloaded from YouTube during their classes. Therefore, in order to not put your reputation at stake, watch the videos from their original source.
For a student, a video saved from YouTube can be a good idea for a school project or presentation. It will create an impression of a well-prepared person and grip the attention of the listeners. Whether you can use copyrighted materials in your school presentation depends on the policy of the institution.
Most of them will allow using the videos downloaded from online platforms. Some teachers can even be excited about the idea. However, it is always worth your while to check the rules of the school and add the link to the original video in the references part.
If you want to download a video for your personal needs, you shouldn’t have any problems. No one will scrutinise your laptop to check whether you’ve saved the makeup tutorials to use them in the future. You can have peace of mind if watching the videos by yourself when you are offline is the only reason why you save them.
Remember, that even if you are completely sure that a copyrighted video can be used for other purposes than just watching it offline, always leave a link to the original source of it. Never use the materials downloaded from YouTube as your own ones. Firstly, it’s disrespectful towards an author. Secondly, it’s against the law. Depending on the law of the country you live in and the policy of the institution where you use copyright materials, you might get different forms of punishment for it.
So, What?
Downloading, displaying, and contributing videos from Youtube is illegal and is considered copyright infringement. However, it cannot be controlled. This process would take too much time and money for YouTube owners. Therefore, it is very easy to download any video from it.
However, one should bear in mind that the usage of the materials saved from this platform should be only private and not shared with the public. Even though everyone can download a video from YouTube, they cannot be used everywhere. There is a whole list of situations in which the usage of this kind of materials will be inappropriate or even illegal.
Always check the rules and policy of the place or event in which you are planning to use the video downloaded from YouTube. Most likely, you will not encounter any problems with it. But it’s always better to prevent any unexpected situations before they happen.
