Pinterest · Pinterest Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Broad Content License Grant

Medium severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Uncommon · 15 of 343 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

When you post anything on Pinterest, you give Pinterest a broad, free license to use, copy, modify, and share that content to operate the service and with Pinterest's partners.

This analysis describes what Pinterest'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 authorizes Pinterest to modify your content and distribute it through third-party partners, and separately permits use of your content in advertising and marketing, without requiring additional permission or payment.

Interpretive note: The advertising and marketing use scope of this license may be subject to different legal treatment in EEA jurisdictions depending on how Pinterest establishes its lawful basis under GDPR.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
3
Months Monitored
Apr 3, 2026
First Seen
May 22, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 646 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Any images, videos, or other content you upload to Pinterest may be used by Pinterest and its partners for operating the service and for advertising purposes under a royalty-free license that the terms state continues even after account deletion for content already shared by others.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    To remove content from Pinterest, go to your profile, select individual pins or boards, and delete them. Note that the terms state the license may persist for content already saved or shared by others.

How other platforms handle this

Upwork Medium

By posting or submitting content on or through the Services, you grant Upwork a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, copy, modify, create derivative works based on, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, and otherwise exploit in...

Kajabi Medium

"Content" means anything you or your Customers create or make available through the Service in connection with your Account, including your intellectual property (e.g. trademarks, trade names, service marks, and copyrighted works); the products or services you offer (e.g., courses, coaching, members...

ConvertKit Medium

By posting, uploading, inputting, providing or submitting your Content you grant Kit, its affiliated companies and necessary sublicensees permission to use your Content in connection with the operation of their Internet businesses including, without limitation, the rights to: copy, distribute, trans...

See all platforms with this clause type →

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
By making available any Content through the Service, you grant to Pinterest a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, copy, modify, create derivative works based upon, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform and distribute your Content in connection with operating and providing the Service and Content to other users and to Pinterest's partners, who may also use your Content subject to their own privacy policies and terms.

— Excerpt from Pinterest's Pinterest Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages GDPR Article 6 (lawful basis for processing) and Article 7 (conditions for consent) for EEA users, as the license grant covers advertising use of content, which may require a separate, specific consent basis under EU law rather than reliance on contractual necessity. The EU Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive may also be relevant regarding derivative works. The FTC Act applies regarding whether the scope of this license is adequately disclosed to US consumers at the point of upload. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium-High. The license is described as non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free, and worldwide, covering derivative works and distribution to partners. For EEA users, the advertising and marketing use component may not be supportable solely on a contractual necessity basis under GDPR, creating potential tension with EU data protection obligations. No specific enforcement actions are cited here, but EU data protection authorities have scrutinized broad consent bundled with service terms. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EEA and UK users face heightened exposure because the advertising use of content may require granular consent under GDPR and UK GDPR rather than reliance on terms acceptance. California users may have CCPA-adjacent considerations if content is treated as personal information. The sublicensable and transferable nature of the license means content can flow to Pinterest's partners, including advertising networks, creating additional data flow mapping requirements. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations using Pinterest for brand content should evaluate whether the content license scope is compatible with their own IP ownership policies and third-party content rights. The sublicensable nature of the license means content may be further distributed beyond Pinterest's direct control. Procurement teams reviewing Pinterest as a vendor should flag this provision in IP ownership annexes. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should evaluate whether the consent mechanism at the point of upload adequately captures the advertising use scope for EEA users. Data mapping should include content flows to advertising and analytics partners. IP rights clearance processes should account for the derivative works permission granted under this clause.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has jurisdiction over unfair or deceptive trade practices related to consumer disclosures about how user-generated content is licensed and used in advertising.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

DSA
European Union

Provision details

Document information
Document
Pinterest Terms of Service
Entity
Pinterest
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 7, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-000697
Document ID
CA-D-00099
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
6a325f281940e6a8540c4a9b0592b82d3aa6642c3ac89de5a098345119fc2a94
Analysis generated
May 7, 2026 14:55 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Pinterest
Document: Pinterest Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-000697
Captured: 2026-05-07 14:55:16 UTC
SHA-256: 6a325f281940e6a8…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/pinterest/pinterest-terms-of-service/broad-content-license-grant/
Accessed: July 4, 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 Pinterest's Broad Content License Grant clause do?

This provision authorizes Pinterest to modify your content and distribute it through third-party partners, and separately permits use of your content in advertising and marketing, without requiring additional permission or payment.

How does this clause affect you?

Any images, videos, or other content you upload to Pinterest may be used by Pinterest and its partners for operating the service and for advertising purposes under a royalty-free license that the terms state continues even after account deletion for content already shared by others.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 15 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Pinterest?

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