When you upload photos, write reviews, or post any content on Airbnb, you give Airbnb a permanent, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, modify, and distribute that content however they choose, including in advertising.
Any content you upload to Airbnb — including photographs of your home, written descriptions, or guest reviews — can be used by Airbnb for marketing, advertising, or shared with third-party partners without any additional payment to you. The license is irrevocable for the period of copyright protection, meaning Airbnb retains these rights even after you delete your account.
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Compare across platforms →This clause means professional photographers or hosts who upload high-quality listing photos are granting Airbnb the right to use those images globally in perpetuity without additional compensation, and Airbnb can sublicense those rights to third parties.
1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates copyright law under the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.) and equivalent EU law (Directive 2001/29/EC on copyright in the information society). The irrevocable, sublicensable nature of the license must be assessed against GDPR Art. 17 (right to erasure) — a tension arises where a user requests data deletion but Airbnb claims a perpetual IP license over the same content. The FTC Act Section 5 is relevant where the scope of the license is not adequately disclosed to users at the point of content upload. 2)
Compliance intelligence locked
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Watcher: regulatory citations. Professional: full compliance memo.