The agreement grants Whatnot a royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute user-generated content, including livestream recordings, images, and other submissions, for platform operation and promotional purposes without additional compensation to the user.
This analysis describes what Whatnot'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 authorizes Whatnot to use seller and buyer-generated content, including livestream recordings and product images, for commercial promotional purposes without revenue sharing or separate compensation, which has direct implications for creators and sellers who generate commercially valuable content on the platform.
Interpretive note: The full text of the content license grant was not included in the truncated document excerpt; the description is based on references to the license scope in the document and standard Whatnot Terms provisions.
The updated terms establish mandatory arbitration as the exclusive dispute resolution mechanism for influencers, replacing direct court access in California and Australia. Under the revised language, any dispute with Whatnot must proceed through arbitration under the main Terms of Service, which includes a class action waiver. This means influencers cannot bring class or collective claims and cannot access court proceedings except where the main Terms of Service explicitly permits. The practical effect is that individual influencers seeking to resolve disagreements with Whatnot over payments, account suspension, content disputes, or contractual interpretation must use arbitration rather than litigation.
View change record →The updated terms establish a formal Creator Program for Australian users that defines how creators can submit content for potential monetary or credit rewards. Creators grant Whatnot a one-year, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use submitted videos across paid and organic social media, television, and other platforms, while retaining ownership of the original content. The terms require creators to clearly disclose any material connection to Whatnot, including consideration or free products received, in a form specified by Whatnot and compliant with Australian advertising standards and the AANA Code of Ethics.
View change record →Australian sellers using Whatnot are now required to resolve all disputes through arbitration rather than through Australian courts. The updated terms state that disputes will be resolved exclusively under the main Terms of Service arbitration provisions, removing the previous option to bring legal action in Los Angeles courts or pursue jury trials. The terms no longer include language allowing court proceedings, except where the main Terms of Service expressly permit.
View change record →Under this clause, content submitted to the platform, including livestream recordings and product images, may be used by Whatnot for promotional and commercial purposes as permitted by the license grant. Users retain ownership of their content but grant Whatnot broad usage rights as described in the Terms.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Broad Royalty-Free User Content License and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →"The document references a grant to Whatnot of a license over user-generated content including livestreams, images, and other submissions, described as royalty-free and covering use, reproduction, modification, and distribution for platform and promotional purposes.Excerpt from Whatnot's Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The breadth of intellectual property licenses in consumer-facing terms of service may engage state right of publicity statutes, particularly in California and New York, where commercial use of a person's likeness or identity …
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This provision authorizes Whatnot to use seller and buyer-generated content, including livestream recordings and product images, for commercial promotional purposes without revenue sharing or separate compensation, which has direct implications for creators and sellers who generate commercially valuable content on the platform.
Under this clause, content submitted to the platform, including livestream recordings and product images, may be used by Whatnot for promotional and commercial purposes as permitted by the license grant. Users retain ownership of their content but grant Whatnot broad usage rights as described in the Terms.
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