Grade C+ — Standard consumer terms (score 69/100)
WorldCat claims a perpetual, irrevocable license to all user-generated content and reserves the right to terminate accounts for any reason, though it does not mandate forced arbitration.
Perpetual content license and broad termination rights. No forced arbitration.
You grant OCLC (and its affiliates) a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, non‑exclusive, transferable, fully paid, royalty‑free license to: i. use, copy, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, and otherwise exploit User‑Generated Content
You give the company permanent, unchangeable rights to use, modify, and sell anything you post, which continues even if you stop using the service.
OCLC may update or otherwise modify these Terms at any time in its sole discretion. OCLC may issue notice of changes by a notice posted on OCLC’s website... Your continued use of WorldCat.org will constitute binding acceptance of the Terms.
The company can change the rules at any time without notifying you directly, and by continuing to use the site, you automatically agree to those changes.
Terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the WorldCat.org for any or no reason, including without limitation, any violation of these Terms of Use.
The company reserves the right to ban you or delete your account at their sole discretion without needing a specific justification.
Disclose your identity or other information about you to any third party who claims that material posted by you violates their rights, including their intellectual property rights or their right to privacy.
The company will hand over your personal information to third parties if they claim you infringed on their rights, without requiring a court order.
you agree to indemnify OCLC and its directors, officers, employees, and contractors against any third-party legal proceedings... This indemnity covers any liability or expense arising from claims, losses, damages, judgments, fines, litigation costs, and attorneys’ fees.
If the company gets sued because of something you did, you are responsible for paying their legal fees and any damages they are ordered to pay.
Last reviewed 2026-08-04 under rubric v3.5.