What can I do about this clause?

{'method': 'WEB_FORM', 'recipient': 'https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/55770', 'difficulty': 'EASY', 'action_type': 'DELETE_DATA', 'instructions': 'Navigate to your YouTube Studio, select the video(s) you wish to remove, and click Delete. Note that per the Duration of License clause, YouTube retains server copies even after deletion for a commercially reasonable period.', 'deadline_days': None, 'deadline_hours': None}

Which regulatory agencies enforce this type of clause?

{'agency': 'FTC', 'reason': 'The FTC has authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act to review whether the scope of this license grant constitutes an unfair or deceptive practice relative to consumer expectations.', 'complaint_url': 'https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/'}

What is the severity of this clause?

ConductAtlas classifies this Worldwide Royalty-Free Content License to YouTube clause as high severity. Severity reflects the magnitude of rights affected, the breadth of users impacted, and the degree of discretion the platform retains.

Worldwide Royalty-Free Content License to YouTube — YouTube

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What it is

When you upload any video or other content to YouTube, you give YouTube a free, permanent right to use, copy, modify, distribute, and promote that content anywhere in the world as part of its business.

Change history

added Apr 18, 2026

This provision explicitly establishes YouTube's right to sublicense and transfer user content, substantially expanding the company's rights beyond a simple hosting agreement.

View full change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Uploading content to YouTube means surrendering broad usage rights to Google LLC and its affiliates, royalty-free, for the duration of the license period — content creators do not automatically receive any compensation for YouTube's use of their videos in promotions or redistribution.

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

Navigate to your YouTube Studio, select the video(s) you wish to remove, and click Delete. Note that per the Duration of License clause, YouTube retains server copies even after deletion for a commercially reasonable period.

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle Worldwide Royalty-Free Content License to YouTube and similar clauses.

Compare across platforms →

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

This license is broad enough to allow YouTube to use your content in ways you may not have anticipated, including in promotional materials or across Alphabet affiliate services, without paying you anything.

View original clause language

By providing Content to the Service, you grant to YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable license to use that Content (including to reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works, display and perform it) in connection with the Service and YouTube's (and its successors' and Affiliates') business, including for the purpose of promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates copyright law (17 U.S.C. §106) as the legal basis for the license grant, and must be assessed against GDPR Article 6(1)(b) (contractual necessity) and Article 7 (consent requirements) where the licensor is an EU/UK data subject whose content constitutes personal data. The FTC Act Section 5 is relevant if the scope of the license is inconsistent with reasonable user expectations established by platform marketing.

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Applicable agencies

FTC

The FTC has authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act to review whether the scope of this license grant constitutes an unfair or deceptive practice relative to consumer expectations.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

YouTube Terms of Service

Entity

YouTube

Document last updated

April 29, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

April 28, 2026

Last verified

April 28, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-002750

Document ID

CA-D-00069

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://www.youtube.com/t/terms

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

29a35f30aec4fcdd01e0e440c99cf919acfeef49e92424061d5b45ab92271a6b

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: YouTube | Document: YouTube Terms of Service | Record: CA-P-002750
Captured: 2026-04-28 09:39:38 UTC | SHA-256: 29a35f30aec4fcdd…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/youtube/youtube-terms-of-service/worldwide-royalty-free-content-license-to-youtube/
Accessed: May 2, 2026

Classification

Severity

High

Worldwide Royalty-Free Content License to YouTube