Is removing a video watermark legal? 3 cases and the law

Removing a watermark to repost someone else's video can breach copyright law. What Vietnam's laws, the EU AI Act, US law and platform terms say.

Adam Wang

08/11/2026 · 7 min read

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Is removing a video watermark legal? 3 cases and the law

In this article (9)

Watermarks are rights management information or AI labels
Is removing a video watermark legal under copyright law?
Fines in Vietnam: VND 30 to 100 million for individuals
AI video: Vietnam's AI law bans erasing required labels
The EU AI Act and US law also protect these marks
TikTok, YouTube and AI video generators all prohibit it
Three common cases and the legal way to handle each
Common misconceptions
Sources

Is removing a video watermark legal? Often it is not. Knowingly stripping the logo or creator name from someone else's video and reposting it can count as copyright infringement, and in Vietnam an individual can be fined VND 30 to 100 million.

This article summarizes official legal texts and platform terms; it is not legal advice. For a specific case, ask a lawyer.

Watermarks are rights management information or AI labels

A watermark is a logo, channel name or code shown faintly on the frame. It usually does one of two jobs. The first is to show who owns the video. Vietnam's Law on Intellectual Property, consolidated text calls this "rights management information" (Article 4, clause 10d). It covers information identifying the work, the author, the owner and the terms of use.

The second job is to show that a video was made by AI. Vietnam's Law on Artificial Intelligence No. 134/2025/QH15 took effect on March 1, 2026. AI systems already in operation before that date have 12 months to comply, or 18 months in health, education and finance, under Article 35. Article 11, clause 2 requires providers to mark AI-generated audio, images and video in a machine-readable format.

Article 11 of Vietnam's Law on Artificial Intelligence on transparency, covering machine-readable marking and labels on AI video — Article 11 on marking and labeling. Screenshot: Law No. 134/2025/QH15 on the Vietnam Government Portal (Vietnamese page), Oct 12, 2026.

Is removing a video watermark legal under copyright law?

Not if you do it knowingly. Article 28, clause 6 of the Law on Intellectual Property makes it infringement to knowingly delete, remove or change rights management information without permission when you know, or have grounds to know, that this will enable or conceal infringement.

Clause 7 targets the person who reposts: knowingly distributing or communicating copies to the public when you know that information was removed. Clause 4 bans knowingly disabling effective technological measures the owner uses to protect a work.

Under the consolidated Decree 17/2023/ND-CP, rights management information must stay with the copy when the work reaches the public (Article 60), and Article 61 treats measures whose main function is to "mark, identify, distinguish" a work as technological protection measures.

Article 60 of consolidated Decree 17/2023 defining rights management information as details on the work, author, owner and terms of use — Article 60 on rights management information. Screenshot: consolidated Decree 17/2023/ND-CP on the Vietnam Government Portal (Vietnamese page), Oct 12, 2026.

Leaving the watermark in place does not make a repost legal either: Article 66, clause 1, point i of the same decree treats communicating a work online without the owner's consent as infringement.

Fines in Vietnam: VND 30 to 100 million for individuals

Decree 341/2025/ND-CP was signed on December 26, 2025 and took effect on February 15, 2026, replacing Decree 131/2013/ND-CP. Article 40 sets three fine bands:

VND 30 to 50 million: knowingly deleting, removing or changing rights management information.
VND 50 to 70 million: knowingly distributing copies when you know that information was removed.
VND 70 to 100 million: knowingly broadcasting or communicating those copies to the public.

Article 40 of Decree 341/2025 setting fines of VND 30 to 100 million for removing or changing rights management information — The three fine bands in Article 40. Screenshot: Decree 341/2025/ND-CP on the Vietnam Government Portal (Vietnamese page), Oct 12, 2026.

Organizations pay double (Article 5). Knowingly disabling effective technological measures costs VND 30 to 50 million (Article 39), and so does posting a work online without permission, plus a takedown order (Article 15).

AI video: Vietnam's AI law bans erasing required labels

With AI video, a generator's logo can be the AI label the company applied. Article 7, clause 5 of the Law on Artificial Intelligence bans "erasing or falsifying required information, labels and warnings in AI activities."

Clauses 4 and 5 of Article 7 of Vietnam's Law on Artificial Intelligence, banning the erasure or falsification of required information, labels and warnings — Clause 5 of Article 7 sits in the list of prohibited acts. Screenshot: Law No. 134/2025/QH15 on the Vietnam Government Portal (Vietnamese page), Oct 12, 2026.

Article 11, clause 4 requires deployers to label AI video that imitates a real person's appearance or voice, or recreates a real event.

The EU AI Act and US law also protect these marks

If your video reaches viewers in the EU, Article 50 of the AI Act applies. Paragraph 2 requires machine-readable marking of AI output, and paragraph 4 requires deployers to disclose that a deepfake video was generated or manipulated by AI.

Paragraph 2 of Article 50 of the EU AI Act, requiring providers to mark AI outputs in a machine-readable format — Article 50(2) on machine-readable marking. Screenshot: AI Act Service Desk, European Commission, Oct 12, 2026.

The European Commission says these rules apply from August 2, 2026. Generative AI systems already on the market before that date have until December 2026 to meet the marking duty. In the US, Section 1202 of the Copyright Act bars intentionally removing or altering copyright management information when you know it will enable or conceal infringement.

TikTok, YouTube and AI video generators all prohibit it

TikTok's Intellectual Property Policy does not allow content that infringes copyright. TikTok's Terms of Service state that users own the content they post.

TikTok Intellectual Property Policy stating that TikTok does not allow content that infringes someone else's copyright — TikTok does not allow content that infringes copyright. Screenshot: TikTok Intellectual Property Policy, Oct 12, 2026.

Removing the TikTok logo to repost a clip still means using that creator's content. For AI generators, the Hailuo AI terms, updated August 19, 2026, ban removing, obscuring, altering or disabling any watermark, metadata or AI label the company applies.

Hailuo AI Terms of Service requiring disclosure of AI-generated content and banning removal of watermarks, metadata and AI labels — The clause on AI disclosure and watermarks. Screenshot: Hailuo AI Terms of Service, Oct 12, 2026.

Three common cases and the legal way to handle each

Your own video. Your logo is your call. If you made it with an AI tool on a free plan, export again on that service's paid plan: Runway's Standard plan lists "No watermarks" at $12 a month billed yearly, and Hailuo AI's paid plans include watermark-free downloads. A video that imitates a real person still needs an AI label.

Runway pricing page showing the Standard plan at 12 USD a month billed yearly, with a No watermarks line — Runway's Standard plan lists No watermarks. Screenshot: Runway pricing page, Oct 12, 2026.

A video you licensed. Check where, how long and whether you may drop the logo; for a clean copy, ask the seller for the original file. Our news section covers commercial use rights for AI video generators.

A video someone else posted. Get written permission from the creator, buy a license, or quote only a short clip for commentary. Article 25, clause 1 of Vietnam's IP law allows reasonable quotation, but you must credit the author and the source.

Copyright on YouTube help page listing options for safely using copyrighted content — The four options YouTube suggests. Screenshot: YouTube Help, Oct 12, 2026.

The Copyright on YouTube page suggests four routes: a copyright exception, permission, Creative Commons, and the Audio Library, though none guarantees you avoid a copyright strike.

Common misconceptions

"Giving credit is enough." Credit does not replace permission, except for reasonable quotation.

"Removing it is fine as long as I don't post it." Clause 6 of Article 28 covers the removal itself when you know it enables infringement.

"AI video has no author, so anyone can use it." Article 5a, clause 9 of Decree 17/2023/ND-CP says output made entirely by AI does not create copyright. But the AI label is still protected by Vietnam's AI law, and the generator's terms still bind you.

Article 5a, clause 9 of consolidated Decree 17/2023/ND-CP, in Vietnamese: output made entirely by an AI system gives rise to no copyright — The rule on fully AI-made output sits at the end of Article 5a. Image: screenshot of consolidated Decree 17/2023/ND-CP on the Vietnam Government Portal, Oct 27, 2026.

One real risk: removing a watermark can still break the law even when the video looks free to use, because the AI label is protected by Vietnam's AI law, and the generator's terms still bind you.