Provision record
Minecraft · Minecraft End User License Agreement · View original document ↗

Mod Ownership and Distribution Restrictions

Medium severity Common · 282 of 352 platforms
Stay ahead of the changes
Track Minecraft and get the diff the day its terms change.
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF

This analysis describes what Minecraft'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 clause delineates the boundary between user-created intellectual property and Mojang-owned intellectual property in the modding ecosystem. It establishes conditions under which users may exercise ownership rights over their own creative work while preserving Mojang's control over distribution channels and commercial monetization of the base game.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users may create and distribute non-commercial mods freely, but the terms prohibit selling mods or creating monetized derivative versions of the game. Users retain ownership only of original work they create and do not own Mojang's underlying code or content included in the game.

How other platforms handle this

NVIDIA NIM Medium

NVIDIA AI Workbench is licensed for use under Section 1.1.1 and Section 1.1.2.2, and not licensed for use under Section 1.1.2.1.

Glassdoor Medium

Discriminate regarding access to communities or groups that you create, manage, lead, or participate in.

Tinder Medium

You may not display any personal contact, banking, or peer-to-peer payment information, whether in relation to you or any other person (for example, names, home addresses or postcodes, telephone numbers, email addresses, URLs, credit/debit card...)

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Any Mods you create for Minecraft: Java Edition from scratch belong to you (including pre-run Mods and in-memory Mods) and you can do whatever you want with them, as long as you don't sell them for money / try to make money from them and so long as you don't distribute Modded Versions of the game. Remember that a Mod means something that is your original work and that does not contain a substantial part of our code or content. You only own what you created; you do not own our code or content.

Excerpt from Minecraft's End User License Agreement

Applicable regulations

CFAA
United States Federal
DMCA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Minecraft End User License Agreement
Entity
Minecraft
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 18, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002825
Document ID
CA-D-00118
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
3e36cbf81c9f13772db9a4cc67229149cadbb49256c9b0b7d536f61685dbd27f
Analysis generated
April 18, 2026 09:56 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Minecraft
Document: Minecraft End User License Agreement
Record ID: CA-P-002825
Captured: 2026-04-18 09:56:01 UTC
SHA-256: 3e36cbf81c9f1377…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/minecraft/minecraft-end-user-license-agreement/provision/CA-P-002825/mod-ownership-and-distribution-restrictions/
Accessed: Sept. 18, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Get the research letter

Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Minecraft's Mod Ownership and Distribution Restrictions clause do?

This clause delineates the boundary between user-created intellectual property and Mojang-owned intellectual property in the modding ecosystem. It establishes conditions under which users may exercise ownership rights over their own creative work while preserving Mojang's control over distribution channels and commercial monetization of the base game.

How does this clause affect you?

Users may create and distribute non-commercial mods freely, but the terms prohibit selling mods or creating monetized derivative versions of the game. Users retain ownership only of original work they create and do not own Mojang's underlying code or content included in the game.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 282 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Minecraft?

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