Downloading videos and copyright: what you can and can't do

Who owns a video you download

The person who made it, unless they've licensed it to someone else. Copyright applies automatically when a video is created; there's no need to register it or add a © symbol. Downloading a copy doesn't transfer any rights to you, and neither does removing the watermark, adding music, or crediting the creator.

Most videos also contain other people's work: a song in the background, a clip from a film, artwork on a wall. Each of those has its own owner, which is why a video can be blocked or muted even when the person who posted it made it themselves.

Usually fine

• Watching a video offline on your own device
• Saving your own uploads as a backup
• Keeping a clip for private reference, research or commentary (depending on your country's fair use or fair dealing rules)
• Sending a video privately to a friend, the digital equivalent of showing it to them

Needs permission

• Re-posting the video on your own account
• Using it in ads, products or monetized videos
• Selling or distributing it
• Using a song from a video in your own content outside the platform it was licensed for

Fair use and fair dealing, briefly

Many countries allow limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes like criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching and research. In the US this is called fair use; the UK, Canada, Australia and India have fair dealing rules that are narrower. Whether a use qualifies depends on the purpose, how much is used, and whether it competes with the original.

A reaction video that discusses a short clip is far more likely to qualify than a compilation that re-posts whole videos with music on top. If your use is commercial, or uses most of the original, assume you need permission.

Platform rules

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X all have terms about reusing other people's content. Breaking them can get your account restricted, your videos removed, or your reach reduced as “unoriginal content”, even when copyright law wouldn't. Their built-in sharing tools (Duet, Stitch, Remix, Share to Story, Repost) keep the creator credited and are always allowed.

How to ask a creator for permission

A short direct message works. Say who you are, which video you'd like to use, where and how you'll use it, and how you'll credit them. Many creators agree, especially for non-commercial use with a link back. Keep their reply, a screenshot is fine, in case the platform or a rights holder asks later.

For brands and professional creators, usage rights are often paid. That's normal: their videos are their income.

If someone re-posted your video

Report it on the platform where it was posted. Every major platform has a copyright report form that asks for the link to your original and the link to the copy; it's usually faster than contacting the person. If you find your video re-hosted on a website, send a takedown notice to that website or its host.

download.fan doesn't host any videos: files go straight from the platform to the person downloading them. Once a video is removed from the platform, it can no longer be downloaded here.

Downloading your own content

Your own videos are yours to download, keep and re-post anywhere, as long as they don't include music or clips that are only licensed for one platform. Each platform also offers an official export of your account: TikTok's Download your data, Instagram's and Facebook's Download your information, and X's archive. Those exports include the files you originally uploaded, which are often better quality than what the platform streams.

Videos in school and work presentations

Showing a short clip in a classroom or a meeting to discuss it is one of the most common uses, and in many countries it falls under educational or fair-use exceptions. Keep it short, credit the creator on the slide, and link to the original. Putting the presentation online, or using the clip in marketing material, is a different matter and usually needs permission.

This isn't legal advice

Copyright law differs between countries and changes over time, and this guide is a plain-English overview, not advice for your situation. If you're planning commercial use, a monetized channel built on other people's clips, or you've received a legal notice, talk to a lawyer who knows media law in your country.

A simple rule of thumb

If you're keeping a video for yourself, you're almost certainly fine. If other people will see it through you, on your account, your website, your product or your ad, ask the creator first and credit them. That one question avoids nearly every copyright problem people run into with downloaded videos.