ERC-2981: The Standard for NFT Royalties and How It Changes Ownership

When you buy an NFT, you’re not just buying a digital image—you’re buying into a system that should reward the original creator every time it changes hands. That’s where ERC-2981, a blockchain standard that defines how NFTs pay royalties to creators on secondary sales. Also known as NFT Royalty Standard, it gives artists a built-in way to earn from their work long after the first sale. Before ERC-2981, royalties were optional, messy, and often ignored by marketplaces. Some platforms paid them, some didn’t. Creators had no control. ERC-2981 changed that by making royalty payments part of the NFT’s code, not the marketplace’s policy.

This standard isn’t just about money—it’s about fairness. Think of it like a record label paying a musician every time their song is played on the radio. ERC-2981 does the same for digital art, collectibles, and virtual land. It’s a smart contract standard, a set of rules written in code that tells blockchain networks how to handle payments automatically. When someone resells an NFT tagged with ERC-2981, the contract checks who the original creator was, how much they’re owed, and sends the payment directly—no middleman, no excuses. That’s why platforms like OpenSea and Blur now support it. And why projects using token royalties, the actual payments triggered by ERC-2981 on secondary sales. are gaining trust from artists and collectors alike.

But here’s the catch: not every NFT uses it. Some creators still rely on platform rules, which can vanish overnight. Others use custom contracts that don’t play nice with ERC-2981. That’s why you need to check if an NFT is truly royalty-compliant before buying. A project might look flashy, but if it doesn’t follow this standard, your purchase might not support the artist at all. ERC-2981 turns royalties from a promise into a protocol.

Below, you’ll find real-world examples of how this standard plays out—whether it’s a fan token paying its creator on every trade, a GameFi asset that rewards its designer with every resale, or a marketplace that refuses to list NFTs without it. These aren’t theoretical debates. They’re live, happening right now on Ethereum and other chains. You’ll see which projects actually honor creators, which ones don’t, and what it means for you as a buyer, seller, or artist.