To use someone else’s video in a YouTube Short, get permission from the person or organization that controls the rights to the footage, and make sure the permission covers your specific Short. A public YouTube upload, a credit in your caption, or a short excerpt is not permission by itself. Check separately for music and other third-party material in the clip.
Choose a route that actually covers your use
There are several possible ways to use another creator’s material, but each has different conditions. YouTube says it cannot grant rights to someone else’s content or help you find the people who can grant them.
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| Route | What it permits | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Direct written permission | The rights holder can authorize the particular reuse you describe. | Scope, territory, duration, monetization, edits, credit, and rights to included audio or other material. |
| Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) | Reuse under the license terms, including attribution. | Confirm the video is actually marked CC BY and that the uploader could license all included material. YouTube explains its license types. |
| YouTube Shorts remix tools | In-product remixing of eligible videos with supported tools. | Source settings, rights status, and music restrictions may make a video or use unavailable. See YouTube’s Shorts remix guidance. |
| Copyright exception | May allow use without permission if the applicable legal test is met. | Rules vary by country and depend on the facts. YouTube’s automated systems do not decide whether a use is legally fair. |
| Substitute licensed footage | A different clip may be usable under a license that covers your intended Short. | Read the actual license and confirm it covers your platform, edits, and any monetization. |
For most creators who have a particular clip in mind, direct permission is the clearest route. If you cannot obtain it, use material with a license that fits your plan, an available Shorts remix feature, or a copyright exception only after considering the applicable law.
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How to ask the rights holder for permission
- Find the likely rights holder. Check the video description, licensing information, and the creator’s channel contact options. YouTube notes that some creators list ways to contact them. The person who uploaded or appears in a video is not necessarily the owner of every element in it. YouTube’s license guidance and copyright tips explain the distinction.
- Identify exactly what you want to use. Include the video title or link, the precise time range, and how you plan to edit or remix that segment.
- Describe the intended Short. Say which channel will publish it, whether you plan to monetize it, any territory or time limits, and the credit you propose to give. These details help define the request; YouTube does not require a particular permission form.
- Ask about all included rights. Confirm that the person can authorize the footage and ask separately about music, graphics, or third-party footage. A creator may control the video but not the song playing in it.
- Get clear written agreement and keep it. Save the reply and any license terms. Follow the agreed limits on attribution, edits, platforms, territory, duration, and monetization. Permission for one Short does not automatically cover other clips or future uses.
Example message
Hi [creator or rights holder], may I use in a YouTube Short on [channel]? I plan to [describe edits or commentary], publish it in [territories, if limited] from [date or duration], and [monetize/not monetize] it. I can credit you as [proposed credit]. Please confirm whether you control the rights to the footage and any included audio, and whether you grant permission for this specific use. Please let me know any limits or required wording. Thank you.
This is a request, not a license or legal form. It only becomes permission if the relevant rights holder agrees, and a separate owner may still control music or other material.
What a public upload, credit, and a short clip do—and do not—mean
A video being visible or embeddable on YouTube does not mean it is free to reuse. YouTube’s default is the Standard YouTube license; Creative Commons Attribution is a separate license option. An uploader can choose CC BY only for eligible content, such as their original work, CC BY material, or public-domain material, and a Content ID claim prevents adding that license. If a video is marked CC BY, follow its attribution and other license terms rather than assuming the label clears every element in the video. YouTube’s license types page describes these conditions.
Credit is not a substitute for authorization, and adding “no infringement intended” does not create rights. YouTube cautions that credit alone does not turn a non-transformative copy into fair use. Nor is there a universally safe number of seconds: even a short excerpt can raise copyright issues. YouTube lists common copyright myths.
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YouTube offers in-product remix options such as Cut, Green Screen, and Collab for eligible source videos. Whether a tool is available depends on the source video’s settings and rights status. A video may be unavailable because it is private, has third-party claims, or its creator or partner has limited remixing. Music rights can also affect whether a remixed Short is blocked. Check YouTube’s current remix eligibility guidance.
A remix control is not blanket permission to download the video and use it in an off-platform editor. YouTube says copyright-protected material used in Shorts created outside its creation tools may receive a Content ID claim or a copyright removal request. Use the supported tool for the eligible source and check the applicable limits.
Check music and other material separately
A video can contain several works with different rights holders: footage, a song, a graphic, or a clip from another source. Permission from the channel owner may not cover all of them. YouTube’s copyright guidance specifically warns that background music can require permission from its own copyright owner. If a Short uses a song, the method matters: YouTube says music added from the in-product Shorts Audio Library through Shorts creation tools is covered by Shorts-specific arrangements, while adding a song outside those tools can be subject to standard claims. See YouTube’s guidance for rights holders on managing Shorts.
YouTube’s rights-holder guidance also states that, starting September 24, 2026, new Shorts longer than one minute with an active copyright claim may remain playable rather than being automatically blocked. Platform handling can change, so check the current guidance before relying on a particular outcome.
Fair use and other copyright exceptions are not automatic
In the United States, courts assess fair use using four factors: the purpose and character of the use; the nature of the copyrighted work; the amount and substantiality used; and the effect on the potential market. No one factor, editing technique, or clip duration settles the question. A brief excerpt can still use the work’s most significant part.
Commentary, criticism, educational purpose, transformation, noncommercial use, and attribution may matter in some cases, but none guarantees fair use. YouTube says courts decide fair use case by case; Content ID and other automated systems cannot decide the legal question. Other countries may apply fair dealing or different, specified exceptions. Read YouTube’s explanation of fair use and seek qualified advice for a specific, uncertain case.
What can happen if you upload without permission
YouTube scans uploads against reference material supplied by copyright owners using Content ID. A match may affect a video’s availability or monetization, and a rights holder can also submit a copyright removal request. Permission, a license, or a belief that an exception applies does not guarantee that an upload will avoid a claim or removal request. YouTube explains copyright claims and removal requests.
You can dispute a claim if you believe you have a valid basis, including an applicable exception, but YouTube does not mediate ownership disputes. Disputes and appeals can proceed into formal legal processes, so do not treat a platform response as a court ruling.
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