Davis CaesarWhen KSI uploaded a tearful video to YouTube on May 31, 2026, announcing he was leaving the Sidemen after 13 years, millions of fans were shocked. But for the growing community of content creators who build businesses in partnerships, his exit raised a question far more pressing than fandom grief: what happens to your money, your content, and your brand name when a founding partner walks away?
The Departure That Shook the Creator Economy
KSI — born Olajide Olatunji, one of the most recognized faces in British internet culture — announced his departure from the Sidemen, the seven-member YouTube collective he helped found in 2013, citing burnout and a need to reclaim balance in his personal life. "I've been running at full speed at 100 miles an hour," he said. The remaining six members confirmed the news came as "a surprise to us," wishing him well via Instagram while pledging to continue the channel.
The split is remarkable not just for its scale — the Sidemen channel commands tens of millions of subscribers and generates revenue across YouTube, merchandise, live events, and brand partnerships — but for what it exposes about the legal foundations on which creator empires are often built. KSI moves on to boxing, music releases, a judging role on Britain's Got Talent Series 19, and businesses spanning drinks (Prime Hydration, where he retains equity after stepping down as CEO in October 2025), food, clothing, and a minority stake in Dagenham and Redbridge FC. But his exit leaves behind a web of shared assets, ongoing royalties, and contractual obligations that entertainment attorneys are now being asked to untangle.
What a Lawyer Sees When a Partner Leaves
The first legal question in any partnership exit is blunt: what was in writing? According to entertainment attorneys who specialize in the creator economy, most early-stage partnerships — especially those formed between friends in their teens — begin as handshake arrangements and never catch up legally, even as the numbers grow. The Sidemen, founded when several members were teenagers, expanded over 13 years into a multi-brand operation without ever publicly disclosing the structure of their business agreements.
"Content creator partnerships are especially vulnerable because the most valuable assets — the channel URL, the brand name, existing video libraries — are often tied to a single Google account or a registered trademark held by one member," as entertainment lawyers in this space frequently note. When those assets are jointly developed but not legally ring-fenced, a departure creates immediate ambiguity over control, ongoing ad revenue, and whether the departing partner can use the group's brand identity independently.
Under US law, a general partnership — the default structure whenever two or more people share business profits without forming a legal entity — gives each partner the right to dissociate and demand a proportionate share of net assets at the time of exit. For a channel whose evergreen videos continue to generate CPM revenue years after upload, that calculation can reach well into the millions of dollars. An entertainment lawyer can help map exactly which assets are co-owned, which are individually owned, and what a fair exit valuation looks like — before the negotiation turns adversarial.
Revenue, Royalties, and Ongoing Rights
One of the most misunderstood aspects of YouTube partnerships is what happens to money after someone leaves. Existing videos continue generating ad revenue indefinitely. Without a written agreement specifying otherwise, a departing founder with an equity stake in a shared YouTube entity may retain a legally valid claim to a portion of that ongoing income — potentially for years.
The picture grows more complex with brand deals. Sponsorship contracts signed in KSI's individual name will expire or require renegotiation. Deals executed by a Sidemen corporate entity continue generating revenue for that entity regardless of his departure, meaning the remaining members benefit while KSI may receive only whatever his equity stake entitles him to under the partnership structure.
Music rights add a third dimension. KSI has released tracks both under the Sidemen umbrella and as a solo artist. Where songs feature multiple members, publishing royalties — mechanical, synchronization, and performance rights — flow for decades. The royalty disputes that emerged after One Direction's split illustrate just how knotted group creative rights can become long after members go their separate ways — and why getting these terms in writing from day one matters so much.
Under 17 U.S.C. § 201, co-authors of a jointly created work each hold an undivided interest in the entire work and can license it non-exclusively — but must account for profits to their co-authors. The US Copyright Act makes clear that these rights survive the end of a business relationship. Applied to YouTube, that means a departing creator who contributed to jointly produced videos retains co-authorship rights in those videos unless they formally assigned those rights in writing.
Non-Compete and What KSI Can (and Can't) Do Next
A question every departing partner faces: can you immediately launch a competing operation? Many partnership agreements include non-compete clauses restricting a departing member from starting a directly competing business for a set period — typically six to 24 months. In most US states these are enforceable if narrowly drawn; California is a notable exception, having effectively banned non-competes for independent contractors, which is part of why many creator businesses choose to incorporate there.
KSI's stated plans — boxing, music, television, his existing brands — don't appear to put him in direct competition with the Sidemen's YouTube content format. But any creator planning a post-partnership pivot should review their agreement for non-compete, non-solicitation, and exclusivity clauses before announcing anything publicly. Announcing a competitor channel the same week you resign gives the remaining partners far stronger grounds for injunctive relief.
Concrete Scenario: A Two-Person Gaming Channel, Five Years In
Entertainment lawyers across the US are fielding calls from creators who saw KSI's video and recognized their own situation. Here is one that arrives frequently:
Two creators — call them Alex and Jordan — launched a gaming YouTube channel together in 2021. They never formed an LLC. They split ad revenue informally via bank transfer, both have admin access to the channel, and the brand name is registered as a trademark in Alex's name alone. In September 2026, Jordan wants to leave.
Under the Uniform Partnership Act (adopted in most US states), Jordan has the right to dissociate and demand that the partnership settle their proportionate share of the business's fair market value. Because the trademark is in Alex's name, Jordan cannot use the channel brand independently. But if the trademark was developed using partnership resources — which it was, since both built the audience — Jordan can seek compensation for a share of its value as part of the dissolution.
If the channel earns $6,000 per month in ad revenue (a realistic figure for a mid-sized gaming channel with 300,000 subscribers), the annual revenue is $72,000. At a standard 2–4× annual revenue acquisition multiple for YouTube channels in this range, the channel's fair market value sits between $144,000 and $288,000. Jordan's 50% stake is worth $72,000 to $144,000 — and that's before accounting for ongoing royalties from individually co-authored videos, which continue accruing.
If Alex refuses to negotiate, Jordan can petition for dissolution of the general partnership under the UPA, forcing a court-supervised accounting of all assets. That process costs more in legal fees than a clean negotiated exit would have — for both parties.
The lesson: a one-page exit clause drafted before the partnership begins can resolve this situation in days rather than months.
What Every Creator Should Do Before the Next KSI Moment
Entertainment attorneys are unanimous on the steps that prevent a messy exit from becoming a legal crisis:
1. Form a legal entity. An LLC with a clear operating agreement takes less than a week and a few hundred dollars to establish. It defines ownership percentages, decision-making authority, and exit procedures from day one.
2. Register your trademarks early. If the brand name is the primary asset, file for federal trademark protection before the audience grows — not after. A US trademark registration costs $250–$350 per class and takes roughly 8–12 months to process.
3. Write a formal exit clause. Specify notice periods, valuation methods (revenue multiples, third-party appraisal), and whether a departing partner can use the brand name. Agree on this when everyone is friendly — not when someone is already heading for the door.
4. Secure YouTube channel access. Create a dedicated Google Workspace account owned by the partnership entity, not by any individual member. When a partner leaves, access is removed cleanly without risking channel control.
5. Address ongoing royalties in the agreement. Decide upfront whether departing members receive a share of ad revenue from videos they contributed to after they leave — and for how long.
KSI's 13 years with the Sidemen turned a shared hobby into an industry. The creators who study his exit carefully — and consult a lawyer while their partnerships are still thriving — are the ones most likely to protect what they've built, whether they stay or eventually move on.
This article provides general legal information for educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for guidance specific to your circumstances.
