Does saying,"I do not own the rights to this music", protect you from infringement claims?

If you're active on social media, I'm sure you've seen the disclaimer,"I do not own the rights to this music", on social media posts. Many people believe that by including this statement, they are somehow protected from potential copyright infringement claims...WRONG! By saying, "I do not own the rights to this music", you are essentially snitching on yourself. You are broadcasting the fact that you're using someone else's copyrighted material without proper permission.

Based on U.S. copyright law, an infringer's intentions are irrelevant when determining liability for copyright infringement. Therefore, even though you believe you're innocently using the latest hit as background music for your video, you're just as liable as someone who knowingly and intentionally infringed.

There's no substitute for obtaining permission; and saying "I do not own the rights", does not get you off the hook for infringing on one's copyright. You'll still be subject to receiving a take-down notice; having your profile or group removed from social media platforms; or lose certain functionalities and features on social media. So, the next time you want to use music in your social media videos, obtain permission from the rights holder or use creative commons music.