What am I allowed to download?

Last updated: July 2026 · Orientation, not legal advice

DownloadThat is a technical tool: you provide a link, and the app saves the video, audio, or image behind it locally on your device. Whether a particular download is allowed does not depend on the app — it depends on what rights you hold in the content. This page explains the main cases. It is not legal advice; when in doubt, ask the rights holder or a lawyer.

1. What you may generally download

• Your own content. Video, audio, or images you created or uploaded yourself — e.g. your own uploads, to back them up or reuse them across platforms.
• Creative Commons content. Works released under a Creative Commons license may be used within the terms of that license (see section 3).
• Public-domain works. Content whose copyright term has expired or that has been explicitly dedicated to the public domain (e.g. CC0).
• Content with explicit download permission. Where the provider offers a download button or the terms of service allow it (many podcasts, government and educational resources, media libraries with a download function).
• Content from your own accounts, where the relevant terms of service permit downloading for personal use.

2. What you must NOT download

• Copyrighted content of others without their permission — even if it is freely accessible. "Publicly available" does not mean "cleared for download."
• Content whose download is prohibited by the terms of service of the platform.
• Content behind an effective technical protection measure (DRM) — circumventing it is unlawful (e.g. § 95a of the German Copyright Act; Art. 6 of the EU InfoSoc Directive). DownloadThat does not circumvent such protection anyway (see section 4).

3. Creative Commons – in brief

Creative Commons licenses are a widely used way for creators to explicitly release their works for reuse. They combine individual building blocks:

• BY — Attribution: you must credit the creator.
• SA (Share Alike) — adaptations must be shared under the same license.
• NC (Non-Commercial) — non-commercial use only.
• ND (No Derivatives) — no adaptations; unmodified sharing only.
• CC0 — a waiver of all rights, i.e. effectively public domain.

Always check the specific license of the individual work and follow its conditions (especially attribution). Large pools of CC content are available at, for example, Wikimedia Commons, the Internet Archive, and via Creative Commons search.

4. DRM and technical protection

DownloadThat does not circumvent any technical protection measure. Content from DRM-protected streaming services cannot technically be saved with the app — this is by design and, for legal reasons (the anti-circumvention rules), intentionally not supported. The app only saves content that is delivered without protection.

5. Platform terms of service

In addition to copyright, the terms of service of each platform apply. Some services prohibit downloading in their terms unless they provide a download function themselves, or the content is under a free license or belongs to you. Check the terms of the site you download from, and respect them.

6. Your responsibility

When setting up the app you confirm that you only download content for which you have the necessary rights or permission. That responsibility rests with you as the user. DownloadThat provides the tool but makes no decision about which content you download.