User-generated content (UGC) has become one of the best digital marketing strategies for building trust, community and authenticity.
But just because (some) content created by your customers or even creators is public doesn’t mean it’s fair game. To reuse someone else’s content legally, you need to secure usage rights first.
UGC usage rights are the permissions brands must get before featuring that content in ads, campaigns, websites, or social media platforms. And with tighter legal scrutiny, evolving platform rules, and growing concerns around privacy, getting proper permission is essential.
Brands are now expected to respect both the creator’s intellectual property and their control over how their content is used.
When handled the right way, UGC can boost performance across your marketing mix without crossing legal lines.
That’s why, in this guide, we’ll walk you through:
By the end, you’ll know how to legally and confidently work UGC into your marketing strategy without speculations or legal gray areas.
User-generated content is any content created by real people instead of brands.
This works because 54% of consumers say they trust online reviews more than they trust recommendations from friends or family, company claims, or influencers.
You can have:
In both cases, UGC reflects genuine experiences, so it stands out as one of the most trusted and effective forms of modern marketing. People simply trust content from other people more than traditional ads, so UGC is a goldmine for social proof.
But before you repost or repurpose any social media posts, you need to understand how content ownership and usage rights apply.
Pro tip: UGC tools like Pixlee, Taggbox, and Bazaarvoice make it easier to discover and legally collect UGC at scale. For example, Taggbox has built-in rights-request features for platforms like Instagram and X, helping brands get permission fast and avoid copyright issues. These tools also streamline content curation for branded hashtag campaigns.
Here’s how EmbedSocial works for UGC rights:
UGC can take many forms, such as:
Here’s a good example:
This content can come from everyday customers, niche creators, or even skilled professionals who make polished, platform-native videos. That blend of sources blurs the line between organic and paid content. This is exactly why managing usage rights properly is so important.
We’re also seeing more AI-generated or AI-enhanced UGC entering the mix.
Tools like Runway and Luma AI let creators produce realistic content that might involve your brand’s visuals. Since laws around AI content are still evolving, it’s extra important to tread carefully with permissions, privacy, and ownership.
UGC legally belongs to the person who created it. It is not owned by the brand or the platform it’s posted on. That simple fact drives everything around how UGC can (and can’t) be used, and it’s the foundation of all rights and permissions.
If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s a good video that explains different types of usage rights and why brands need them:
The moment someone creates and shares original content, they automatically own the copyright. There’s no need to file paperwork or register anything. It’s theirs by default.
Even if the post is public, the UGC creator keeps the exclusive right to control how it’s used. Just because it’s online doesn’t give brands permission to copy, share, or repurpose it.
That mistake is more common than you may think.
A MASV report details that 50% of creators report unauthorized use of their content, and the associated trust and legal consequences.
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When users post content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, they still own that content. The platform typically gets a license to display or distribute it within its own ecosystem, but that license does not extend to brands wanting to reuse it elsewhere.
If a brand wants to feature that content in a campaign, product gallery, or ad, they need the creator’s explicit permission.
Besides, platforms like YouTube have specific rules against copyrighted content:
Creators can license or transfer rights through formal agreements (collaborations, ambassador programs, influencer contracts). These UGC contracts spell out exactly how the content can be used, for how long, and in what context.
But unless there’s a clear agreement in place:
Bottom line: If you’re building a marketing or e-commerce strategy that leans on UGC, treat it like any other piece of intellectual property. If you don’t have permission to use it, you don’t have the right to use it.
Using customer photos, videos, reviews, or any type of UGC without proper permission can land your brand in legal, financial, and reputational trouble.
Securing usage rights keeps your marketing efforts on the right side of copyright, privacy, and content-use rules.
Creators own the rights to their content, and public visibility doesn’t equal consent, especially for commercial use.
Without proper clearance, you risk copyright violations, takedowns, legal fees, and reputational damage. This also applies to content featuring people, music, logos, or other protected elements.
For example, in February 2017, North Carolina photographer Kayla Kraft sued Anheuser-Busch for copyright infringement after the beer company allegedly lifted one of her registered photos from her Facebook page and used it in a retail marketing campaign across North Carolina, without permission.
Kraft had registered the photo with the U.S. Copyright Office, which strengthened her legal position. According to reports, the image (featuring a fake moustache theme) was used on point-of-sale and promotional materials for Anheuser-Busch products. She claimed the company did not license the photo, did not credit her, and did not compensate her for the commercial use.
To stay compliant, always secure clear usage rights before publishing UGC across any channel.
Asking for permission and being transparent about how content will be used shows respect and builds trust. Skipping this step can feel invasive and damage relationships.
Crediting creators properly and documenting approvals supports long-term partnerships and keeps your workflow consistent.
Responsible UGC use isn’t just a legal checkbox. It’s part of a smarter, long-term content strategy. When you build systems to secure rights, document permissions, and stay organized, you avoid the chaos of last-minute approvals or pulled content mid-campaign.
This is especially important as platforms continue to tighten rules around copyright, usage, and content visibility.
In short, securing UGC rights helps you stay compliant, protects your reputation, builds trust with creators, and keeps your UGC program scalable and sustainable.
Understanding usage rights helps you stay compliant and choose the correct license for every campaign. These are the most common types brands negotiate with creators when repurposing UGC.
This is the most common UGC license. The creator keeps full ownership and can still use the content however they want or license it to other brands.
You get permission to use the content, but you don’t get control over it.
With exclusive rights, only your brand can use the content for the duration of the agreement.
Creators cannot license, sell, or repurpose that content for anyone else. This type of license costs more because it limits the creator’s future earning potential.
These rights allow you to use the content forever unless the agreement says otherwise.
It sounds convenient, but many creators hesitate to grant it because they lose long-term control. It’s typically more expensive and should be used only when you truly need lifetime usage.
However, some creators don’t appreciate in-perpetuity UGC rights too much:
Limited-use rights give your brand permission to use the content only under specific conditions, such as for one campaign, one platform, a short time period, or a single placement.
This keeps costs lower and protects the creator’s control, while giving you just enough flexibility to use the content where you need it most.
This license lets you use the content across your digital channels: social media, website, email, blogs, product pages, and digital placements.
It does not automatically include paid ads unless specified.
Paid media rights let you use UGC in advertising: Meta ads, TikTok Spark Ads, Google Display, YouTube, programmatic, etc.
This license usually has stricter time limits and higher fees because the content directly generates revenue for your brand.
This gives you permission to use the content on your organic social channels: feed posts, Reels, Stories, Pinterest pins, YouTube community posts, etc.
It’s the simplest and least expensive license, but it doesn’t cover advertising or off-platform distribution.
Here’s a neat explanation:
There are two common ways consent can work:
Best practice: Always get explicit consent when using organic UGC in any commercial or off-platform setting. It avoids confusion, keeps things legal, and shows respect for the creator’s work.
It’s also a good idea to not change the context.
Using someone’s post in a way that misrepresents their intent or implies endorsement without clear permission can damage trust and open up legal risk.
A top UGC agency can help you develop a content rights system to:
Treat UGC like the valuable (and protected) asset it is. That way, you can use it confidently, protect your brand, respect your creators and still get all the marketing benefits UGC brings to the table.
These best practices help you run a rights-safe UGC program at scale.
Create a repeatable process so every UGC request follows the same steps. This keeps your team aligned and prevents mistakes.
A clean workflow usually includes:
When this runs smoothly, your brand avoids last-minute problems, conflicting terms, or forgotten permissions. Unfortunately, only 16% of brands have a dedicated UGC strategy, so they may face these difficulties.
Most legal issues happen because the brand team itself isn’t aligned on how they plan to use the content.
Before you contact the creator, clarify internally:
Creators appreciate clarity, and your legal team avoids reinvesting time in back-and-forth revisions.
Pro tip: You need a documented trail in case of disputes, claims, or takedown requests.
Keep:
Make them accessible to your legal, paid media, and social teams.
A surprising number of brands get in trouble by using a UGC asset after the agreed-upon timeframe.
Set up:
This keeps you from running ads with expired usage rights, which is a common liability from our experience.
If you plan to resize, crop, subtitle, or repurpose UGC for different placements, secure editing rights upfront.
This prevents disputes about:
UGC rights management is the behind-the-scenes system that keeps your use of user-generated content compliant and organized. Instead of treating UGC like bonus material, this approach treats it as a managed asset, ensuring it meets copyright, privacy, and IP standards across your entire content strategy.
To prevent missteps or unauthorized reuse, brands need a centralized place to track:
A single, searchable database gives marketing, legal, social, and e-commerce teams instant clarity on what’s cleared and what’s off-limits. It also creates a reliable audit trail, making it easy to respond to creator requests, manage expired rights, and stay compliant.
As your UGC library grows, having structured, accessible records ’s essential.
Manually handling permissions doesn’t scale. Automation helps by:
For teams managing lots of content across multiple channels, automation reduces human error and keeps everything running smoothly.
UGC rights impact marketing, legal, creative, and compliance teams. That’s why it’s important to align everyone with clear policies and tools.
Make sure to:
As brands scale their use of user-generated content, managing rights, moderation, and distribution quickly becomes too complex to handle manually. That’s where UGC management platforms come in.
These tools help you discover, organize, secure permissions for, and publish UGC at scale, turning customer photos, videos, and reviews into ready-to-use, rights-safe marketing assets.
Popular platforms like Taggbox, Pixlee TurnTo, Bazaarvoice, Flowbox, Yotpo, and Juicer.io each offer different strengths depending on your volume, channels, and use case.
When selecting a UGC platform, especially for rights compliance, look for the following features:
The right platform doesn’t just save time but protects your brand and boosts performance. Here’s how:
Using user-generated content isn’t just about staying legally compliant. How you treat creators and their content directly impacts your brand’s reputation, customer trust, and ability to build long-term relationships.
Ethical UGC practices build goodwill. Unethical use can spark backlash, erode credibility, and even lead to public complaints.
When a creator shares a photo, video, or review, it usually comes with a certain tone or message. If your brand repurposes that content, it’s important to preserve that original intent.
Avoid edits like cropping, adding text overlays, or changing the tone. That could distort what the creator meant or make it look like they’re endorsing something they didn’t agree to. Treat their content with the same care and respect you’d give to agency-produced assets.
If you do need to make changes for marketing purposes, ask for permission first. Be transparent about what you're altering and why. This not only shows respect for their work but also keeps communication clear and authentic.
Misrepresenting UGC, whether by tweaking the message, removing context, or implying a false endorsement, can quickly damage both trust and credibility.
Don’t:
Be clear and honest about where the content came from and whether the creator was compensated. Authenticity is what makes UGC powerful, so don’t compromise it.
UGC is powerful, but only when you use it responsibly. By securing clear usage rights, tracking approvals, and respecting creator ownership, you protect your brand while building stronger relationships with your community. With the right systems in place, UGC becomes a scalable, compliant engine for trust and performance.
If you want expert help sourcing, managing, and repurposing UGC at scale, inBeat Agency can build a rights-safe, high-performing UGC program for your brand.
UGC usage rights are the permissions a brand needs to legally reuse content created by someone else. These rights outline how and where the content can appear across social media, websites, ads, or other channels. They exist to keep brands aligned with copyright laws, intellectual property rights, and platform-specific legal frameworks that protect the original creator.
Yes. Even if content is public, fair use rarely applies to commercial content creation or marketing. Brands must secure explicit permission or a usage license to avoid violating copyright laws or privacy rules. Public visibility does not grant automatic rights, especially when the content will be repurposed in paid ads or cross-channel campaigns.
The creator remains the copyright owner of their content, even when it tags your brand or appears on a public platform. Social platforms host the content and may license it internally, but they do not transfer ownership to brands.
Reach out directly via direct message, email, or a rights-request form and clearly explain where and how the content will be used. Written consent gives you the strongest legal protection and ensures both parties understand the usage terms.
A solid UGC contract should cover: what content is being used, where it will appear, how long it’s valid, whether edits are allowed, if it’s paid or unpaid, how the creator will be credited, and what happens if terms change or are broken.
