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
This broad license authorization establishes Pinterest's operational right to incorporate user-generated content into service functionality, product development, and partner distribution without additional compensation or per-use permissions. The transferability and sublicensability provisions enable the company to license the content to third parties as part of business operations.
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.
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.
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By making any User Content available to Calm, you hereby grant to Calm a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, worldwide, royalty-free, license to use, store, publish, translate, reproduce, adapt, copy, modify, create derivative works based upon, publicly display, publicly perform, and distrib...
By submitting User Material you hereby grant Headspace an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty free, worldwide license to use, telecast, copy, perform, display, edit, distribute and otherwise exploit the User Material you post on the Products, or any portion thereof, and any ideas, concept...
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"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
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.
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This broad license authorization establishes Pinterest's operational right to incorporate user-generated content into service functionality, product development, and partner distribution without additional compensation or per-use permissions. The transferability and sublicensability provisions enable the company to license the content to third parties as part of business operations.
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.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 15 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Pinterest.