While scrolling through TikTok the other day, I got a notification about upcoming changes to the platform’s intellectual property policies, set to take effect on April 26, 2025. Naturally, this got me thinking—what does this mean for creators? From what I can tell, TikTok is looking to more strictly enforce its existing copyright rules, which prohibit the unauthorized use of protected content. Alongside this, it’s launching a new online forum that allows copyright holders to file claims more easily. The consequences for creators could be serious: videos flagged for infringement may be taken down, and repeat offenders could face account bans. While the updated policy does make space for “fair use,” there’s still a lot of grey area—especially when it comes to things like song covers, remixes, and fan edits, which make up a huge chunk of TikTok content. As we’ve discussed in class, many users try to skirt copyright violations by shortening clips or masking them in edits. I’m really curious to see how creators will adapt to these changes—and whether it will reshape the kind of content we see on the platform. What do you think?
For more information about the new policy, refer to the following articles and blog posts.
- https://www.dexerto.com/tiktok/what-does-tiktoks-intellectual-property-update-mean-3172442
- https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/global/copyright-policy/en
- https://newsroom.tiktok.com/fil-PH/tiktok-shop-reinforces-commitment-to-user-safety-with-proactive-measures
- https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/intellectual-property
Copyright & Social Media
Communications Law