Subtitle and watermark removal and copyright: a checklist

Updated October 14, 2026 · Peelframe

Removing subtitles is not a problem in itself, but whose video you edit and what you remove can raise copyright issues. Check the points below before you start. This is general information, not legal advice, and it refers to Korean law where it cites articles; rules differ by country.

Usually fine

• Videos you shot and subtitled yourself: removing old subtitles to restyle them or add another language is editing your own work.
• Videos you are licensed to edit: for commissioned footage or purchased stock, check that the contract allows editing or modification. Within that scope, you are fine.
• Videos made for your employer: the company usually holds the rights, so follow its policy.

Can be a problem

• Removing subtitles from someone else's video and re-uploading it: the creator still owns the video. Removing the subtitles does not make it yours, and uploading it without permission can infringe their rights of reproduction and transmission (communication to the public).
• Reusing someone else's translated subtitles: a translation can itself be protected as the translator's work. The same goes for text you extract from their video.
• Removing watermarks, logos or credits: marks that identify the author or terms of use are protected as rights-management information. Removing or altering them without authority, knowing (or negligently not knowing) that it enables or hides an infringement, is prohibited (Korean Copyright Act, Article 104-3; many countries have similar rules). Removing a watermark from someone else's video to reuse it will usually fall under this, so don't. Peelframe's Terms of Service forbid it too.

What about fair use?

Copyright law allows fair use for purposes such as criticism, reporting and teaching (Article 35-5 in Korea), but it is judged narrowly, case by case, weighing the purpose, the nature of the work, how much is used and the effect on the original's market. Using a whole video with only its subtitles removed is unlikely to qualify.

Check the platform's rules too

Platforms such as YouTube have policies of their own. YouTube's Content ID matches uploads against registered videos, and channels that re-upload other people's videos with little change can lose monetization. Removing subtitles does not stop a match when the content is the same.

Before you upload

1. Do I own this video, or do I have permission to edit it?
2. Am I removing subtitles, or a watermark, logo or credit? (If the latter, don't.)
3. Am I reusing subtitle text someone else wrote?
4. Does it fit the platform's reused-content and copyright rules?
5. If I have permission, is it on record in an email or contract?

When in doubt, ask a copyright advisory service in your country or a lawyer. To change subtitles on your own videos, see four ways to remove burned-in subtitles.