


Because copyright law varies internationally and a definition of private copying does not exist in the U.S., you should only use private TikTok downloads of others’ videos in the UK. So if you download TikTok videos you may only use them privately. A private - external-link-window "copying exception">copying exception was introduced in 2014 permitting copies of material for private use. What about downloads? In the UK, there are some exceptions to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 such as the legal term - external-link-window "Fair dealing">Fair dealing which helps to establish whether material is infringing on copyright. Due to the published deals, it can now at least be assumed that provided TikTok background music does not violate copyright. Previously, then, TikTok users were operating in a grey area of copyright infringement, for which TikTok did not accept responsibility in its T&Cs. In 2020, TikTok finally announced that it had signed multi-year copyright deals with international rights holders such as Universal Music Group, NMPA, and APRA AMCOS. For example, until 2020, TikTok was still offering background music for which it had no user rights. When asked whether TikTok video downloads are legal from a copyright perspective, there is a clear answer: it depends. Alternatively, third-party apps are available for downloading online videos. If the function is not activated, you can forward the video via ‘Share video’ as a file via e-mail or to your messenger, e.g. If so, you will find the ‘Save video’ function in the menu of the video in question. If you want to save videos from other users, it depends on whether they allow the download. Videos that have already been uploaded can be saved afterwards. With this, new uploaded videos are automatically saved on the smartphone. In fact, TikTok offers a video download feature. Since some videos are so stunning, funny or impressive that users want to download and save them, the question arises: is that even possible? The social media and video sharing app’s colourful, quirky short videos inspire young people in particular, but also offer artists and influencers the opportunity to gain new fans.

It’s been impossible to overlook TikTok for a long time now, with around 689 million users (as of 2021).
