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Content submitted to public-facing features such as Spotlight, Snap Map, Public Profiles, and Lens Studio is subject to a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license granted to Snap, its affiliates, other users, and business partners, authorizing commercial and non-commercial derivative works across all media, with no compensation owed to the user.
This analysis describes what Snapchat'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 provision establishes that once content is designated as Public Content, the license granted to Snap and its business partners is irrevocable and perpetual, meaning the license persists regardless of whether the user subsequently deletes the content or closes their account. The license expressly covers the name, image, likeness, and voice of individuals featured in Public Content, which may engage state-level right of publicity statutes depending on jurisdiction.
Interpretive note: Enforceability of the perpetual license with respect to content subsequently deleted by the user, and the scope of right of publicity protections, may vary by jurisdiction.
Under this clause, users who post to Spotlight, Snap Map, or other public-facing features grant Snap, other users, and business partners an irrevocable and perpetual right to reproduce, distribute, and create commercial derivative works from that content, including use of their name, image, likeness, and voice, without any obligation to compensate the user.
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"Because Public Content is inherently public, you grant Snap, our affiliates, other users of the Services, and our business partners an unrestricted, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, and perpetual right and license to create derivative works from, promote, exhibit, broadcast, syndicate, reproduce, distribute, synchronize, overlay graphics and auditory effects on, publicly perform, and publicly display all or any portion of your Public Content in any form and in any and all media or distribution methods, now known or later developed, for commercial and non-commercial purposes. This means, among other things, that you will not be entitled to any compensation if your content, including videos, photos, sound recordings, musical compositions, name, image, likeness, or voice included in your content are used by us, our affiliates, users of the Services, or our business partners.Excerpt from Snapchat's Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The inclusion of name, image, likeness, and voice within the scope of this license may engage state right of publicity statutes, including California Civil Code Section 3344 and analogous statutes in other states, as well as the Illinois Right of Publicity Act. The FTC has general authority over unfair or deceptive trade practices that may be relevant if the scope of the license is not sufficiently disclosed to users at the point of content submission. State AG offices in California, Illinois, and New York have enforcement authority over right of publicity and consumer protection claims. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The irrevocable and perpetual nature of the Public Content license, combined with its extension to business partners for commercial derivative works, creates significant exposure for users who post content featuring their own or others' name, image, likeness, or voice. The absence of any compensation mechanism is explicitly stated in the agreement. JURISDICTION FLAGS: California, Illinois, New York, and other states with right of publicity statutes create heightened exposure, particularly for professional creators or public figures who may have pre-existing contractual obligations regarding their likeness. The enforceability of the perpetual license with respect to content removed by the user may vary by jurisdiction. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Businesses or developers who submit branded or proprietary content to public Snap features should assess whether the perpetual license grant conflicts with existing intellectual property ownership or licensing agreements. The extension of the license to Snap's business partners without enumeration of those partners limits the ability to assess downstream use. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should evaluate whether organizational use of public Snap features results in submission of branded content subject to this perpetual license. Content policies should be reviewed to distinguish between content submitted to private versus public-facing features, as the license scope differs materially between the two categories.
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, and regulatory mapping built from archived source documents and historical version tracking.
This provision establishes that once content is designated as Public Content, the license granted to Snap and its business partners is irrevocable and perpetual, meaning the license persists regardless of whether the user subsequently deletes the content or closes their account. The license expressly covers the name, image, likeness, and voice of individuals featured in Public Content, which may engage …
Under this clause, users who post to Spotlight, Snap Map, or other public-facing features grant Snap, other users, and business partners an irrevocable and perpetual right to reproduce, distribute, and create commercial derivative works from that content, including use of their name, image, likeness, and voice, without any obligation to compensate the user.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Snapchat.