Emoji and Copyright: Can You Use Emoji Images Commercially?
Emoji characters are free to type, but Apple and Samsung artwork is copyrighted. Three open-license sets, how to credit them, and cautions for merch and logos.
Maybe you want a big 😂 image on a blog or YouTube thumbnail, or an emoji sticker on your online shop's product page, or you'd like to sell T-shirts with emoji on them. At some point the question comes up: "Everyone uses emoji, so is there really a copyright?"
The answer depends on what you are using. The emoji character you type into a message and the emoji picture drawn on screen are completely different things in legal terms. This article explains the difference, how to pick emoji artwork you can use commercially, and how to give credit. Before using any of this in a real business, check the original text of each license once more.
Emoji as characters are free to use
Emoji are characters registered in the Unicode standard. 😂 is a character with the number U+1F602, and putting that number in a sentence is no different from typing the letter A.
So you don't need to worry about copyright for uses like these.
- Typing emoji in a text message, an Instagram caption or the body of a blog post
- Putting an emoji character in a product name or ad copy (for example, "New fall arrivals 🍂")
- Displaying emoji characters as text on a web page or in an app screen
In these cases you aren't distributing the picture you see. The viewer's own device draws it with its own font. That is why the same sentence shows Apple's artwork on an iPhone and Samsung's on a Galaxy.
Emoji as pictures belong to the company that drew them
The trouble starts when you use an emoji as an image file. If you screenshot 😂 and put it in a thumbnail, or save a PNG and use it in print, you are no longer using a character. You are copying a picture someone drew.
Unicode only decides the name and the number, and each company draws the pictures itself. That means each individual picture carries the rights of the company that drew it.
- Apple: The emoji artwork on iPhone and Mac is Apple's work. Apple has not released it under a public license for use elsewhere, so avoid using it in merchandise or ad images.
- Samsung: Galaxy emoji artwork is likewise not under an open license.
- Messenger-specific emoji: Where an app uses its own design, as WhatsApp and Facebook do, that artwork belongs to each company too.
It's easy to think "it's just an emoji," but Apple's emoji are the most familiar shapes and often slip into commercial designs without anyone noticing. Be especially careful when the picture itself is the product, as with T-shirts, mugs and stickers.
Three emoji sets you can use commercially
Fortunately, some big companies have released their emoji artwork under open licenses. If you follow the conditions, both commercial use and modification are allowed.
Google Noto Emoji: Apache 2.0
This is the design that the default Android emoji are based on, known for its round, friendly look. The image assets are released under the Apache License 2.0.
- Commercial use, modification and redistribution are allowed
- When you distribute, include a copy of the license (or a link) and the copyright notice
- If you changed a file, say that you changed it
Twemoji: CC BY 4.0
These are the emoji Twitter (now X) made, and a community now keeps them going. The flat, clean style works well for thumbnails and icons. The graphics are under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
- Commercial use and modification are allowed
- Credit is required. You have to name the author and the license near where you use it
- If you changed it, say that you changed it
Microsoft Fluent Emoji: MIT
This is the dimensional emoji design from Windows. It's released in several styles, including 3D, flat color and monochrome. The MIT license has the simplest conditions of the three.
- Commercial use, modification and redistribution are allowed
- When you distribute it as software or a bundle of files, include the copyright notice and license text
None of the three means "the company that drew it endorses your product." Using a company's name or logo to promote your product is a separate matter, so use only the artwork and don't add wording like "official Google."
How to give credit
The credit format differs a little by license, but one line like the ones below is enough for most uses. Put it at the bottom of a post for a blog, in the description for a video, and on the back or in a corner for printed material.
- Noto Emoji: "Emoji graphics: Google Noto Emoji, Apache License 2.0"
- Twemoji: "Emoji graphics: Twemoji by Twitter, Inc and other contributors, CC BY 4.0"
- Fluent Emoji: "Emoji graphics: Microsoft Fluent Emoji, MIT License"
It's a good idea to link the license name to the original text. If you mixed several sets, list every one you used. Twemoji in particular breaks the license terms if you leave out the credit, so even if you use it somewhere small like a thumbnail, be sure to leave the source in the description or somewhere in the text.
Saving images on EmojiCanvas
Each emoji detail page on EmojiCanvas has a section for images in each design. It carries only the artwork from the three open-license sets above, exactly as originally released, and the license is shown under each image.
- Save PNG: For uses you paste in right away, like thumbnails, presentations and product pages
- Save SVG: For large prints or editing in a design program. It stays sharp however far you scale it
For this reason, EmojiCanvas does not offer Apple or Samsung artwork. If you're unsure about the license of the image you're using, go by the license shown on the detail page and add the credit lines above. The sources and licenses for the whole site are collected on the sources and licenses page.
By situation
Here is a summary based on the most common uses.
- Blog and YouTube thumbnails: Use open-license images and give credit. Avoid screenshots of Apple emoji.
- Online store product pages and ad banners: Same idea. Use open-license images and put the credit at the bottom of the page.
- Merch like T-shirts, stickers and mugs: It's possible with open-license artwork, but because the picture is the core of the product, follow the license conditions especially carefully. Using artwork you drew yourself is the most worry-free route.
- Logos and trademarks: If you use someone else's emoji artwork as is for a logo, it's hard to claim it exclusively as a trademark and there's a risk of disputes. As a rule, design a logo yourself.
- App and web service screens: Displaying text emoji is no problem. If you want every device to show the same picture, include an open-license set as images or a font, along with the license notice.
Is drawing something similar yourself okay?
The idea of a "smiling yellow face" belongs to no one. Drawing common shapes like a smiling face, a heart or a thumb in your own style generally isn't a problem.
But if you put a particular company's emoji next to you and traced every line and color, it may be a copy and not something newly drawn. If you draw your own, take reference but change the expression, color and proportions to your own style to be safe.
One more thing: in some countries the word "emoji" itself has been registered as a trademark by a particular company, and there have been disputes when it was used in product names. If you plan to put this word prominently in a product or brand name, check the trademark registrations in the relevant country first.
Last checked 2026-10-22