Provision record
Spotify · Spotify Terms and Conditions · View original document ↗

Irrevocable Worldwide User Content License with Moral Rights Waiver

High severity Common · 279 of 352 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

When you post anything on Spotify — playlists, messages, feedback — you give Spotify a permanent, free, worldwide license to use, modify, and sublicense it in any way, and you give up your right to be credited as its author. This license cannot be revoked.

This analysis describes what Spotify'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)

The provision establishes Spotify's authorization to use submitted user content across its service and derivative applications without ongoing royalty obligations or restrictions on sublicensing. The moral rights waiver removes certain protections users might otherwise retain regarding authorship attribution and objections to content modification under intellectual property law.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
6
Months Monitored
Apr 4, 2026
First Seen
Apr 10, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 3334 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Any content you post to Spotify — including written feedback about a bug or a playlist you curated — can be used, sublicensed, and modified by Spotify or its business partners permanently and globally without compensating you. The moral rights waiver eliminates your ability to be credited as the creator or to object to distorted use of your content.

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
    Log into your Spotify account, navigate to Privacy Settings, and submit a data deletion request. Note that due to the irrevocable license, content already shared or sublicensed by Spotify may not be fully removed.

How other platforms handle this

Roblox Medium

Where the law allows us to, we may use the content you and other users have posted for training or to help us to improve the way we filter content on our platform.

Lyft Medium

We may infer certain information from your interactions with the Lyft Platform and other personal information available to us. For example, if you frequently ride to or from airports, we may infer you are a frequent traveler.

Notion Medium

In accordance with applicable legal requirements, we may use your information to tailor and provide you with content and advertisements.

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
you hereby grant to Spotify a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free, fully paid, irrevocable, worldwide license to reproduce, make available, perform and display, translate, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, and otherwise use any such User Content through any medium, whether alone or in combination with other Content or materials, in any manner and by any means, method or technology, whether now known or hereafter created, in connection with the Spotify Service. Where applicable and to the extent permitted under applicable law, you also agree to waive, and not to enforce, any "moral rights" or equivalent rights, such as your right to be identified as the author of any User Content, including Feedback, and your right to object to derogatory treatment of such User Content.

Excerpt from Spotify's Terms and Conditions

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates GDPR Article 17 (right to erasure) and Article 7 (withdrawal of consent) for EU/EEA users, as the irrevocable license may conflict with data subjects' deletion rights — enforced by EU …

Insight

Unlock the full institutional analysis

Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.

Applicable agencies

  • Federal Trade Commission (ftc)
    Oversees unfair or deceptive business practices and can investigate companies that mislead consumers about data collection, sharing, or use.
    Who can file: Anyone affected by the company's practices (US or international)
    What you need: Your account details, a timeline of relevant events, and a description of the specific issue
    What to expect: Complaints inform FTC enforcement priorities and investigations but do not result in individual resolution or compensation
    File a complaint →
  • State Attorney General
    State AGs in California, New York, Texas, and other states can investigate violations of state consumer protection and privacy laws, including CCPA (California), SHIELD Act (New York), and equivalents.
    Who can file: Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws — primarily California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah
    What you need: Evidence of the violation, explanation of how your state rights were affected, and your account or contact information with the company
    What to expect: Outcomes vary by state. May result in investigation, enforcement action, or requirement for the company to change practices. No direct individual compensation in most cases.

    Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint" to find your state's direct complaint form

Applicable regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
UK GDPR
United Kingdom

Provision details

Document information
Document
Spotify Terms and Conditions
Entity
Spotify
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002164
Document ID
CA-D-00035
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
fff9ada0dd9d5d2bcf2f4b4f7a7f968a1e624b16419763261d5e298d5f810910
Analysis generated
March 6, 2026 20:14 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Spotify
Document: Spotify Terms and Conditions
Record ID: CA-P-002164
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:14:22 UTC
SHA-256: fff9ada0dd9d5d2b…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/spotify/spotify-terms-and-conditions/provision/CA-P-002164/irrevocable-worldwide-user-content-license-with-moral-rights-waiver/
Accessed: Sept. 8, 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 Spotify's Irrevocable Worldwide User Content License with Moral Rights Waiver clause do?

The provision establishes Spotify's authorization to use submitted user content across its service and derivative applications without ongoing royalty obligations or restrictions on sublicensing. The moral rights waiver removes certain protections users might otherwise retain regarding authorship attribution and objections to content modification under intellectual property law.

How does this clause affect you?

Any content you post to Spotify — including written feedback about a bug or a playlist you curated — can be used, sublicensed, and modified by Spotify or its business partners permanently and globally without compensating you. The moral rights waiver eliminates your ability to be credited as the creator or to object to distorted use of your content.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 279 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Spotify?

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