Provision record
McDonald's · McDonald's Terms of Use · View original document ↗

Perpetual Royalty-Free Commercial License on User Submissions

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Document Record

What it is

Users who submit comments, photos, suggestions, complaints, or other content through the online services grant McDonald's a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, worldwide license to use that content for any commercial or other purpose without compensation, notice, or attribution. Users also expressly waive claims arising from McDonald's use of materials similar to their submission.

This analysis describes what McDonald's's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision grants McDonald's broad intellectual property rights over any user-submitted content including photographs, suggestions, and complaints, without any obligation to compensate, notify, or attribute the submitting user. The scope extends to sublicensing and derivative works, and the accompanying waiver of claims covers materials merely similar to the submission.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
3
Months Monitored
Jul 9, 2026
First Seen
Jul 9, 2026
Last Seen

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Under this clause, any content a user submits through the online services, including photos, feedback, or complaints, becomes subject to a perpetual, royalty-free commercial license held by McDonald's and transferable to third parties. The agreement states users waive all claims related to McDonald's use or development of materials similar or identical to their submission.

Cross-platform context

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
You understand that by submitting any submissions to McDonald's through the online services, you grant McDonald's a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, sublicense to others, modify, translate, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, and publicly perform the submissions, including to use them for any commercial or other purpose whatsoever without approval from or compensation, notice or attribution to you or any other person. McDonald's will not be required to treat any submissions as confidential. You expressly waive any and all claims against McDonald's and all other Members of the McDonald's System in connection with McDonald's consideration, use or development of any product, design, concept or other materials similar or identical to your submission.

Excerpt from McDonald's's Terms of Use

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & governance intelligence)

1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision may require evaluation under the FTC Act where commercial use of consumer-generated content could intersect with endorsement or advertising regulations, particularly if user-submitted images or testimonials are used in marketing …

Insight

Unlock the full institutional analysis

Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.

Applicable agencies

  • Federal Trade Commission (ftc)
    Oversees unfair or deceptive business practices and can investigate companies that mislead consumers about data collection, sharing, or use.
    Who can file: Anyone affected by the company's practices (US or international)
    What you need: Your account details, a timeline of relevant events, and a description of the specific issue
    What to expect: Complaints inform FTC enforcement priorities and investigations but do not result in individual resolution or compensation
    File a complaint →
  • State Attorney General
    State AGs in California, New York, Texas, and other states can investigate violations of state consumer protection and privacy laws, including CCPA (California), SHIELD Act (New York), and equivalents.
    Who can file: Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws — primarily California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah
    What you need: Evidence of the violation, explanation of how your state rights were affected, and your account or contact information with the company
    What to expect: Outcomes vary by state. May result in investigation, enforcement action, or requirement for the company to change practices. No direct individual compensation in most cases.

    Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint" to find your state's direct complaint form

Provision details

Document information
Document
McDonald's Terms of Use
Entity
McDonald's
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 8, 2026
Last verified
July 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-014392
Document ID
CA-D-00626
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
29a5a7dffc5c60bf644d978dbbb1da6da79e53e1d412dbd448cb6dc5a8a16610
Analysis generated
May 8, 2026 00:00 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: McDonald's
Document: McDonald's Terms of Use
Record ID: CA-P-014392
Captured: 2026-05-08 00:00:10 UTC
SHA-256: 29a5a7dffc5c60bf…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/mcdonalds/mcdonalds-terms-of-use/provision/CA-P-014392/perpetual-royalty-free-commercial-license-on-user-submissions/
Accessed: Aug. 12, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does McDonald's's Perpetual Royalty-Free Commercial License on User Submissions clause do?

This provision grants McDonald's broad intellectual property rights over any user-submitted content including photographs, suggestions, and complaints, without any obligation to compensate, notify, or attribute the submitting user. The scope extends to sublicensing and derivative works, and the accompanying waiver of claims covers materials merely similar to the submission.

How does this clause affect you?

Under this clause, any content a user submits through the online services, including photos, feedback, or complaints, becomes subject to a perpetual, royalty-free commercial license held by McDonald's and transferable to third parties. The agreement states users waive all claims related to McDonald's use or development of materials similar or identical to their submission.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with McDonald's?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by McDonald's.