Since these videos likely fall under user-generated content, it is unlikely that they would be considered an illegal source.Īlthough it is not illegal in Canada to download music from YouTube, downloading music from YouTube violates YouTube’s Terms of Service. As long as the video is not uploaded or used to make money, the creator does not need the song owner’s permission to use the song in their video. These types of videos can be found all over YouTube, and under Canadian law, this is not copyright infringement. A personal video made with a song the creator does not own in the background is an example of user-generated content. It seems that these videos may fall under “user-generated content” or better known as “the YouTube exception”.

What about videos that are not created by the artist, but some people created lyric videos (and say they don’t own the rights to the song)? However, you need to be careful what you copy the music onto because this exception only applies if you copy the song onto your MP3 player or iPod, not a CD. This means you can download music, you did not obtain through illegal means, to listen to at a later time. In Canada, it is legal to download music from YouTube so long as you do not use your computer skills to get around any barriers in place to prevent you from downloading the song, and you are not using the song for anything that makes you money. Written by Brett Colvin So is downloading music from online services legal? So, is it legal to download music from YouTube? The question of whether or not what you are doing is legal may have crossed your mind as well. Although we may not want to admit it, many of us have downloaded a song from YouTube to have on our computer, MP3 player, or iPod.

Download music from youtube to computer