When you submit any content to Waze — including map edits, reports, photos, or comments — you grant Waze a worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use, modify, distribute, and commercialize that content in any way, forever.
This analysis describes what Waze'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
The provision establishes that user-submitted content becomes available for use by the platform and its user base in perpetuity without compensation. This authorization permits Waze to incorporate user contributions into service operations, derivative products, and third-party arrangements without ongoing user consent or approval.
Users permanently lose exclusive control over any content they submit to Waze, which may be used commercially without compensation. This includes community map edits, hazard reports, and reviews.
How other platforms handle this
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 or posting User Content on or through the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such User Content in any and all media or distribu...
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 submitting Content to Waze, you hereby grant Waze and the users of the Service an irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licenseable and transferable license to use, copy, distribute, prepare derivative works, display in public and publicly perform the Content.— Excerpt from Waze's Waze Terms of Use
The irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free license over user-generated content raises IP ownership and GDPR-related consent concerns, particularly regarding content that may constitute personal data under Article 4 GDPR. Due diligence should assess whether the license scope is compatible with user consent obtained at onboarding.
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The provision establishes that user-submitted content becomes available for use by the platform and its user base in perpetuity without compensation. This authorization permits Waze to incorporate user contributions into service operations, derivative products, and third-party arrangements without ongoing user consent or approval.
Users permanently lose exclusive control over any content they submit to Waze, which may be used commercially without compensation. This includes community map edits, hazard reports, and reviews.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 10 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Waze.