Legality, Safety & Trust
Most articles about "is downloading YouTube legal" are vague or wrong. This hub cites primary sources only — the US Copyright Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the platforms' own terms — and the legal-analysis pages are reviewed by a US copyright attorney.
The information on these pages is general reference and not legal advice. If you have a specific question about your own use, consult a lawyer.
Is It Legal to Convert YouTube to MP3? (US, 2026)
Lawyer-reviewed answer covering copyright, fair use and platform Terms of Service.
Fair Use & Personal Downloads
Section 107 four-factor analysis, Sony v. Universal, DMCA §1201, and the gap between rule and enforcement.
YouTube Terms of Service — What It Actually Says
Where downloading is forbidden, how that interacts with copyright law, and the contract-vs-crime distinction.
Copyright-Free YouTube Content
How to find Creative Commons and public-domain content — and what each licence actually allows.
Our DMCA Policy
How to send a takedown notice or counter-notice.