Crypto Gloss

EIP-2981

EIP-2981 is the Ethereum Improvement Proposal that defines a standard interface for NFT smart contracts to specify royalty information — including the recipient address and royalty percentage — allowing NFT marketplaces to query a single function (royaltyInfo()) to determine how much of a sale price should be sent to the creator, standardizing what was previously a patchwork of platform-specific royalty implementations.

What EIP-2981 Does

Before EIP-2981, NFT royalties were implemented differently by every marketplace:

  • OpenSea had its own royalty system in their off-chain database
  • SuperRare hardcoded royalties into their platform
  • Foundation had its own royalty tracking
  • No standard way for NFT contracts to express royalties

EIP-2981 defines one function:

“`solidity

function royaltyInfo(uint256 tokenId, uint256 salePrice)

external

view

returns (address receiver, uint256 royaltyAmount);

“`

When called with a token ID and sale price, the contract returns:

  • receiver — the wallet address that should receive the royalty
  • royaltyAmount — the amount (in wei) that should be paid

A marketplace can call royaltyInfo() before processing any sale and automatically route the correct amount to the creator.

The Standard is Advisory, Not Enforced

This is the critical limitation of EIP-2981:

  • The standard defines how to express royalties, not whether to pay them
  • A marketplace can query royaltyInfo() and still choose to pay 0%
  • Enforcement requires either marketplace cooperation or additional smart contract logic

EIP-2981 is often confused with a technical royalty enforcement mechanism. It is a standardized communication protocol — the NFT contract says “pay 10% to this address,” but the marketplace decides whether to comply.

Finalization and Adoption

  • EIP-2981 was proposed by Zach Burks, James Morgan, Blaine Malone, and James Seibel
  • Finalized as an ERC (Ethereum Request for Comment, the “standard” category) in 2021
  • Adopted by major NFT contracts and marketplaces
  • Integrated into OpenZeppelin’s standard contract library (widely used by developers)

EIP-2981 vs. Operator Filter

When the royalty wars escalated in 2022, OpenSea created the Operator Filter as an additional enforcement mechanism:

  • NFT contracts could register which marketplaces were “allowed” to trade the token
  • Non-royalty-paying marketplaces would be blocked
  • This goes beyond EIP-2981 (which is advisory) to active enforcement
  • The Operator Filter was ultimately abandoned by OpenSea

EIP-2981 remains the standard for expressing royalties; enforcement debates continue independently.

History

  • 2020 — EIP-2981 proposed; addresses the fragmented royalty implementation landscape
  • 2021 — EIP-2981 finalized as an ERC standard; integrated into OpenZeppelin’s contract library
  • 2021 — Major NFT platforms begin adopting EIP-2981 for royalty queries
  • 2022 — Royalty wars; the advisory nature of EIP-2981 becomes central to the debate — marketplaces can query and ignore
  • 2022 — OpenSea’s Operator Filter attempts to add enforcement on top of EIP-2981
  • 2023 — OpenSea abandons Operator Filter; EIP-2981 remains the standard for expressing (not enforcing) royalties
  • 2024 — EIP-2981 is universal; all NFT platforms support querying it; enforcement remains a social/market issue rather than a technical one

Common Misconceptions

  • “EIP-2981 guarantees royalty payments.” — EIP-2981 is a communication standard, not an enforcement mechanism. A marketplace can query royaltyInfo() and still pay 0%. True enforcement requires either marketplace cooperation or on-chain blocking of non-compliant buyers.
  • “EIP-2981 is a new standard.” — EIP-2981 was finalized in 2021 and is now universal. It’s been the standard for several years.

Social Media Sentiment

  • X/Twitter: EIP-2981 is discussed technically in developer and creator circles; the gap between “standard for expressing royalties” and “enforcement” is well-understood among sophisticated participants.
  • Developer community: EIP-2981 is standard implementation; OpenZeppelin integration means it’s included in most new NFT contracts by default.
  • Creator community: EIP-2981 is appreciated as a step forward from platform-specific systems; the enforcement gap is the ongoing frustration.

Last updated: 2026-04

Related Terms

See Also

  • NFT Royalties — the broader context for EIP-2981; the standard exists to serve the creator royalty model
  • Manifold — creator contract infrastructure that implements EIP-2981 by default; the practical tool creators use to deploy EIP-2981-compliant contracts
  • Blur — the marketplace at the center of the royalty enforcement debate; implements EIP-2981 queries but made royalties optional

Sources