Elon Musk’s Push for Watermarked Video Downloads on X Revives an Old Fight Over Who Gets Credit for Viral Posts
Musk’s reply was only two words, but it reopened an old debate about who really owns a post once it leaves its home platform.
Elon Musk has endorsed a suggestion that could alter how videos circulate on X: make all clips from unlocked accounts downloadable, but watermark them aggressively.
The pitch came from Daniel, a verified user who tagged X product lead Nikita Bier with a plea that sounded more like a late-night text than a formal feature request:
“Make all videos from unlocked accounts downloadable. Be bold.
Watermark aggressively. But let me download these videos I am begging you.”
Hours later, Musk replied with a curt but clear endorsement:
“I support this.”
I support this
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2025
Why Watermarks Might Be on the Table
Watermarks aren’t a new invention, but they carry a long internet history. TikTok, for example, stamped its logo and username on every exported clip early on, back when it was still a relative unknown trying to stake a claim in the crowded short-video market. By now, TikTok’s brand is unmistakable, but the watermark remains — part credit, part cultural signature.
X could be considering a similar move for a different reason: keeping its name attached when clips inevitably travel off-platform. The idea leans into a long-running frustration in the social media world. Long before Musk bought Twitter, users were already irritated by viral posts being screenshotted, cropped, and re-uploaded to Instagram or Facebook without attribution. The practice is nearly as old as the modern internet. People lift viral tweets, repackage them for other platforms, and grow their own followings in the process.
A Tale as Old as the Feed
It’s not just tweets. TikToks go viral on X. Instagram Reels get reposted on YouTube. YouTube clips make the rounds on Facebook. Platforms may gripe when their content is ripped, but they also benefit from the cross-pollination — every viral screenshot or clip serves as unpaid advertising. In the same way, Twitter never really complained when a watermarked TikTok exploded on its timeline.
Watermarking X videos could formalize that symbiotic relationship. Creators would see their usernames travel with their work, X would gain visibility wherever the video lands, and audiences could enjoy the convenience of direct downloads without stripping away the source.
The Hurdles Ahead
Of course, watermarking won’t solve everything. It won’t stop copyright disputes, nor will it keep bad actors from cropping or blurring marks. But it could make reposting without attribution a little harder — and, more importantly, give the platform and its users a way to claim ownership in the endless churn of viral content.
Whether Musk’s two-word show of support translates into a platform-wide change remains to be seen. But if history is any guide, ideas he publicly backs often move from tweet to test phase faster than anyone expects.
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