How long can a brand use my UGC? Read these 3 lines in your contract

The short version

Most creator contracts don't sell the video outright. They give the brand a license: permission to use your video in certain places, for a certain time. Posting it on the brand's own feed (organic use) and running it as an ad (paid usage) are usually separate permissions, and paid usage is the one with a clock on it.

So the honest answer to "how long can they use it?" is: open your contract and find 3 things. How long, where, and who owns the video. Everything else follows from those.

This guide is general information for creators, not legal advice. Your contract, and the law where you live, decide what a brand may do.

1. How long: find the usage window

Look for words like "term", "usage period", "license period" or "paid usage". A clear contract gives a number of days or months and says when the clock starts. Common windows are 30, 60 and 90 days for paid ads, and 6 or 12 months for videos a brand plans to scale.

Then find the start. Contracts count from different moments: the day you deliver the video, the day the brand approves it, the day of the first post, or the first day the ad runs. A 90-day window that starts on delivery can end well before a brand expects it to, which is exactly when ads tend to run over.

2. Where: organic, paid or whitelisted

The same contract can give a brand different rights for different uses. Read which ones yours includes:

• Organic use: the brand reposts your video on its own social accounts or website, with no ad spend behind it.
• Paid usage: the brand runs your video as an ad from its own page.
• Whitelisting: the brand runs ads through your handle, so the ad looks like it comes from you. On Instagram and Facebook this is usually done with partnership ads.
• Other channels: TikTok, YouTube, TV, email, packaging or in-store. Each one should be named if it's included.

3. Who owns it: license or buyout

If the contract says you "grant a license", you usually keep ownership and the brand borrows the video on the stated terms. If it says you "assign" your rights, sell them outright, or that the video is a "work made for hire", the brand may own it and be able to use it without an end date. Words like "perpetual" or "in perpetuity" usually mean no end date for the uses they cover. "Irrevocable" means you can't take the license back early, so read it together with the end date.

If you see one of those words and didn't expect it, ask about it before you sign. Buyouts are normally priced far higher than a short window.

What common contract wording usually means

A quick way to read the clause you have. These are typical readings, not rulings: unclear wording can be read more than one way.

How to check if a brand is still running your video

Every active ad on Facebook and Instagram is listed in Meta's public Ad Library, which anyone can search without an account. Search the brand's page name, show active ads only, and look for your video. Each ad shows the date it started running.

If your window has ended and your video is still there, that's a zombie ad: a creator ad still running after the license ended. It happens more than you'd think, usually because a winning ad got copied into new campaigns and only the original was paused.

Lapse's free zombie ads check builds the Ad Library search for you, counts the days past your end date, and writes a polite email asking the brand to pause or pay. Nothing is stored and there's no signup.

Before you sign your next deal

These 5 lines in the contract save a lot of chasing later:

• A paid usage end date, written as a date or a number of days from a clear start.
• Which channels are included, named one by one.
• Whether the brand may edit, re-cut or add captions to your video.
• A renewal price agreed now, so extending is easy for both sides.
• A line saying that when the window ends, every ad using the video stops, including copies and re-edits.
• If you grant partnership ad access on Instagram or Facebook, set its expiry date to match your license, if the option is available.

Common questions

Can a brand use my UGC forever?

Only if your contract gives them that, for example a buyout, a transfer of your rights, or a perpetual license. A time-limited license means the brand should stop the listed uses when it ends.

My contract doesn't mention an end date. What now?

It's unclear, and the answer depends on the wording and where you live. Ask the brand to confirm the end date in writing. If a lot of money is involved, talk to a lawyer. This guide is not legal advice.

Can the brand keep my video on its feed after the window ends?

Often organic posts are allowed to stay up, while paid ads should stop. Check whether your contract treats organic and paid use differently.

How do I know if they're still running my ad?

Search the brand in Meta's public Ad Library and look for your video among active ads. The free zombie ads check does the search and counts the days for you.

What if the ad is still running after my license ended?

Collect screenshots with dates, then contact the brand and ask them to pause or pay for the extra time. Our guide on brands using content after a contract ends walks through it.