OpenAI · OpenAI API Data Usage Policies · View original document ↗

Customer ownership of inputs and outputs

High severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Common · 257 of 352 platforms
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Recent governance activity OpenAI recorded 16 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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This analysis describes what OpenAI'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)

OpenAI explicitly recognizes user ownership of both inputs and outputs, though ownership of outputs is qualified by 'rightfully receive' and 'to the extent permitted by law,' which introduces legal conditions on that ownership.

Interpretive note: The qualifier 'to the extent permitted by law' applies expressly to output ownership. The clause does not define 'rightfully receive,' which is a legally material but undefined condition.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium May 28, 2026

The updated terms establish that workspace admins, rather than individual end users, control how long workspace conversation data is retained and authorize admins to view, access, export, and delete end user conversations. Previously, the policy stated that each user controlled whether their conversations were retained and that only end users could view their own conversations. The revised terms also permit OpenAI to retain deleted or unsaved conversations beyond the standard 30-day deletion window if retention is required by law or reasonably necessary to protect OpenAI's services or third parties from harm. Workspace users should review their organization's data governance policies to understand what access and retention practices their admins have implemented.

View change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

You retain all rights to what you submit to the services, and you own what you receive back, subject to the qualifier 'rightfully receive' and applicable law.

How other platforms handle this

Stability AI Medium

As between you and Stability, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, you retain your ownership right in the Inputs that you submit.

Tinder Medium

By uploading Your Content, you represent and warrant to us that you have all necessary rights and licenses to do so and automatically grant us a license to use Your Content as provided under Section 7 below.

Segment Medium

You grant Twilio the right to use and display your name, logo, and a description of your use case(s) on Twilio's website, in earnings releases and calls, and in marketing and promotional materials, subject to your standard trademark usage guidelines...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
you retain all rights to the inputs you provide to our services and you own any output you rightfully receive from our services to the extent permitted by law.

— Excerpt from OpenAI's OpenAI API Data Usage Policies

Applicable regulations

DMCA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
OpenAI API Data Usage Policies
Entity
OpenAI
Document last updated
May 12, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
July 9, 2026
Last verified
July 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-061192
Document ID
CA-D-00789
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
1ae7d9fa2dca070b64ed5b07ad1ec3806fc650d1cfbfeddb552af548e6be6663
Analysis generated
July 9, 2026 03:33 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: OpenAI
Document: OpenAI API Data Usage Policies
Record ID: CA-P-061192
Captured: 2026-07-09 03:33:57 UTC
SHA-256: 1ae7d9fa2dca070b…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/openai/openai-api-data-usage-policies/provision/CA-P-061192/customer-ownership-of-inputs-and-outputs/
Accessed: July 12, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does OpenAI's Customer ownership of inputs and outputs clause do?

OpenAI explicitly recognizes user ownership of both inputs and outputs, though ownership of outputs is qualified by 'rightfully receive' and 'to the extent permitted by law,' which introduces legal conditions on that ownership.

How does this clause affect you?

You retain all rights to what you submit to the services, and you own what you receive back, subject to the qualifier 'rightfully receive' and applicable law.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 257 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with OpenAI?

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