User-Generated Content
Also called: UGC · User Content Clause
A user-generated content clause governs the rights and responsibilities around content users post, upload, or create on a platform — who owns it, what licence the platform receives to use it, and the platform's moderation and takedown obligations.
In more detail
The user typically retains ownership of what they create, but the platform needs a licence to actually operate — to display, store, transmit, and sometimes modify (for formatting or moderation) the content. That licence should be defined precisely, not left to be inferred.
A licence grant that is broader than operationally necessary — perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable to third parties for any purpose — is a common point of user distrust and, in some contexts, regulatory scrutiny, even when the platform never intends to misuse it.
The clause should also address moderation and takedown: what content the platform can remove, on what grounds, and whether users are notified — this connects directly to the platform's acceptable use policy.
A user posts a photo to a social platform. The UGC clause grants the platform a non-exclusive, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute that photo as part of operating the service — without transferring ownership of the photo itself.
What our lawyers check
- Scope of the licence the platform takes — is it limited to what's operationally necessary
- Whether the licence survives after a user deletes their content or closes their account
- Moderation and takedown rights, and what triggers them
- Whether the clause is consistent with the platform's acceptable use policy
Contracts where this clause matters
Related terms
This definition is general information about commercial contracting practice, not legal advice. How a clause operates depends on the specific wording of your agreement and the law that governs it. For advice on your contract, have it reviewed by a lawyer.
All glossary terms