Reaction video

The question of if, and when, reaction videos constitute a fair use of intellectual property, rather than an appropriation of the reacted-to content, and a copyright infringement, has generated controversy and is a subject of discussion and debate.

[3] The numerous reaction videos for particularly popular or shocking television events, such as the 2013 Game of Thrones episode "The Rains of Castamere", have themselves become the subject of commentary.

[8] The New York Times noted there is a racial dynamic to many reaction videos which involve younger, Black listeners responding positively to music by older, white musicians.

[8] When Tim and Fred Williams's reaction video to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" went viral, it pushed the song to #2 on the iTunes chart.

[4] The first reaction videos for the gross-out 2 Girls 1 Cup allowed people, according to Anderson, to "experience its dangerous thrill without having to encounter it directly—like Perseus looking at Medusa in the reflection of his shield".

The People's Court of Yangpu District, Shanghai, determined that reaction videos did not qualify as fair use and that the creators had not gained proper authorization, leading to an infringement of the rights to information network transmission of the involved work.