Credits, Licenses and Fair Use for YouTube Clips

When can an editor use someone else’s YouTube footage?

An editor can use someone else’s YouTube footage only with a right to it: permission, a license such as Creative Commons, public domain status, or a legal exception such as fair use. Credit alone grants no right, as does giving credit make it legal explains.

These pages are general information, not legal advice. Each route, what it requires and its page:

Route	What it requires	Page
Your own footage	You filmed it or hold the rights	can you use YouTube clips in your video
Permission	A written yes from the rights holder	how to ask a YouTuber for permission
Creative Commons CC BY	Credit to the creator, as the license requires	Creative Commons on YouTube
Public domain	A status you verify yourself	public domain footage sources
Fair use or fair dealing	A case-by-case court judgment	is using a YouTube clip fair use

Who clears each clip in paid work is covered in YouTube clips in client and commercial projects. Downloading is a separate question from copyright, answered in what YouTube’s Terms say about downloading.

How does Creative Commons work for YouTube footage?

As of September 2026, YouTube offers creators two licenses: the Standard YouTube License, the default for every upload, and Creative Commons CC BY, which the creator must choose. YouTube Help on Creative Commons says CC BY lets others reuse the video, including commercially, as long as they give credit.

A Standard YouTube License video gives you no reuse right outside YouTube, so you need permission or an exception.

What do fair use and fair dealing cover for editors?

Fair use is a US legal doctrine that can allow using copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as commentary, criticism, teaching or news reporting. The US Copyright Office says courts weigh four factors case by case, so no clip length is automatically safe.

The UK and several other countries use fair dealing, a narrower set of named exceptions.

What is the difference between a YouTube copyright claim and a strike?

A copyright claim is usually an automatic Content ID match that affects one video, while a copyright strike follows a legal removal request and counts against the whole channel. As of September 2026, YouTube Help on copyright strikes says channels with 3 strikes in 90 days are subject to termination.

A claim lets the rights holder block, monetize or track the video. How each one starts, ends and escalates is in copyright claim vs copyright strike.

How should you credit YouTube creators in an edit?

A YouTube credit names the video title, the creator or channel, and a link to the original, plus the license when the clip is Creative Commons. The description is the usual place; add on-screen or end credits when the license or client expects them.

Copy-paste formats are in how to credit a YouTube video. B-ROLL writes a ready credit line for each download, explained in automatic credit files for every YouTube download.

How do you keep a record of every clip’s source?

A credits log is a per-project record of each clip’s title, creator, source URL, upload date, license and credit line. B-ROLL writes a .credits.txt next to each download and appends it to a running credits.txt for the folder; if the metadata lookup fails, no credits file is written.

The License line shows what yt-dlp reports, else “Standard YouTube License”, so check the video page; the file is a convenience, not proof of rights. The full template is in video credits log, and the download workflow around it lives in guides from download to timeline.