Does Pixel Art Have Copyright?

Art|Pixel Art

Pixel art has been a popular form of digital art since the 1980s, but is it copyrightable? To answer this question, let’s take a look at what exactly pixel art is and how it’s created.

Pixel art is a type of digital art where images are created using individual pixels. This can be done in a variety of ways: by hand, with software programs like Photoshop or GIMP, or even with browser-based tools like Piskel or Aseprite. The images created from these tiny blocks of color work together to create an image that can be used for video games, websites, and other digital media.

When it comes to copyrightability, pixel art isn’t treated any differently than any other type of artwork. If the artist creating the pixel art has made substantial changes to the original source material or has come up with an original concept that hasn’t been seen before then they can copyright their work.

Creative Commons Licensing

For those looking to share their pixel artwork without worrying about copyright issues there is also Creative Commons Licensing. This allows creators to share their work under different licenses which give users different rights depending on the license chosen. Some of these licenses allow users to use and modify the artwork as long as credit is given back to the original creator.

Conclusion

To conclude, yes – pixel art can be copyrighted in some cases depending on how much originality was put into it by its creator. Additionally, Creative Commons Licensing provides an alternative for creators who want to share their artwork without worrying about copyright infringement.