Is TikTok Video Downloader Legal? Should You Download TikTok Videos?
Do you want to download a TikTok video you like? The social app has an in-built feature that allows users to download videos directly from the app. However, it is legal to download videos from TikTok under some conditions.
More than a billion users are now using TikTok. It is now officially the second biggest video-sharing platform in the world. However, keep in mind that most of these videos are copyrighted. So be careful before uploading them on TikTok or any other social media platform.
Download TikTok videos using third-party websites (illegal)
Users cannot download a majority of TikTok videos using the in-built feature. Some third-party websites let you download TikTok videos by copying their links. However, using these websites is against TikTok’s terms of service. Additionally, downloading someone else’s content without permission is illegal copyright infringement.
“TikTok respects the intellectual property rights of others, and we expect you to do the same. TikTok’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines do not allow posting, sharing, or sending any content that violates or infringes someone else’s copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights.”
TikTok Intellectual Property Policy
Legal alternative
You can download some TikTok videos directly from the app using the built-in downloader. All you need to do is press the Share button on the video and select the Save Video option. Note: you don’t need an account to download these videos.
These videos are only available to download from creators who have enabled the download option. However, they still come under copyright laws and can be claimed if uploaded on the internet. Any TikTok video is subject to copyright laws unless licensed under Creative Commons.
Downloading TikTok videos is quite different from YouTube, which has a creative commons section. Music is another issue with TikTok videos, as even a tiny snippet of copyrighted music is claimable. Songs that TikTok can use on the app are not usable on YouTube or any other social media platform.
However, many YouTubers and Twitch react to these videos and comment on them. Why don’t they get a copyright strike? Reacting to videos is a transformative use, one of the defenses to copyright infringement under fair use. The more you add to the original content, the more likely it is to be fair use.
