- CapCut’s new terms let it use your face and voice in ads without paying you
- Uploading to CapCut now means giving up control of your content forever, even unpublished clips
- Using CapCut means you agree to the new terms automatically
CapCut, widely touted as one the best free video editors by creators and marketers for its powerful editing features, has quietly made a major change to its Terms of Service which should worry users everywhere.
This change means users will be handing over rights, not just to their footage but also to their face, voice, and creative efforts – all without compensation.
This has unsurprisingly triggered concerns, with critics warning the move effectively hands over perpetual control of your content to the platform.
Your content will become their permanent property
“CapCut now includes broad language granting them a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, modify, adapt, publicly perform, and create derivative works from your content,” Claudia Sandino, Director at Omnivore, says.
The revised terms don’t just apply to public posts; the company also claims rights over user-generated content, including voice, face, and likeness, whether the video is published or not.
“If you upload a video of yourself, or even just a voiceover, they can legally use that in an ad or other media without notifying or compensating you,” Sandino warns.
More troubling is the “perpetual” nature of this license; CapCut retains the rights even after a user deletes their account, as Sandino notes, “CapCut goes further than most by claiming usage rights over content that creators often assume is private or controlled.”
For a tool often considered by many as the best video editing app, these terms are out of step with what users expect from creative software.
The legal position of such terms remains unclear for many – although creators technically own their likeness and voice under right of publicity laws, enforcement becomes difficult once a user agrees to these sweeping terms.
“Most creators aren’t aware that uploading a clip, even a draft, could legally waive their rights,” Sandino cautions.
The fact there is no opt-out further complicates the situation for professionals using CapCut for commercial or client work.
CapCut users currently have limited options, and anybody who uses it is agreeing to the updated terms by default, so some may want to switch to more creator-friendly platforms like Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve.
CapCut, owned by ByteDance and often grouped with contenders for the best video editing software, now risks alienating its user base by shifting from a tool to a distribution engine.
Ethically, companies like CapCut should disclose terms in clear language, offer opt-outs, and compensate creators when their content is monetized.
“Using their work without consent or payment isn’t just unethical, it’s exploitative… this affects the future of creative ownership as a whole,” Sandino added.
Via HelloPartner
