Pixsy
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersCovina, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
Pixsy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pixsy
- Legal name
- Pixsy Inc.
- Website
- https://pixsy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pixsy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Image Copyright Protection
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519), Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829), Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Piracy Monitoring & Discovery (Web/Social/App Store/UGC Crawling) (MPAHAMAC)
Keywords
Where Pixsy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Covina
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Pixsy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans: Monthly or annual subscription plans for image monitoring. Users can monitor 500 images for free (forever), with paid tiers for monitoring more images. Billing is recurring with automatic renewal.
- Case Resolution (No Win, No Fee): Pixsy charges a 50% contingency fee only when cases are successfully resolved and compensation recovered. Submitting a case for resolution is free. This aligns Pixsy's incentives with photographers' interests.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free plan - 500 images monitored forever |
| Subscription | Monthly | Paid subscription plans for extended monitoring |
| Subscription | Monthly | Advance plan for Art Is Helping members - 30,000 images |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Case Resolution - 50% contingency fee |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pixsy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pixsy operates an AI-powered image monitoring and copyright enforcement platform that scans the public internet to find unauthorized uses of users' images. When matches are detected, users can send automated DMCA takedown notices globally across 35 jurisdictions and 15 languages, or submit cases to Pixsy's team of copyright experts and 26 partner law firms for compensation recovery on a no-win, no-fee (50% contingency) basis. The platform also integrates with the US Copyright Office to officially register user works for added legal protection.
Product overview
Pixsy is a unified online platform for image theft protection, built by photographers for photographers. The core platform consists of five integrated modules: Monitor (image scanning and detection), Resolve (case resolution with no-win-no-fee legal support), Takedown (automated DMCA notice sending), Register (US Copyright Office integration), and Integrations (one-click sync from image platforms). Users upload or sync images from platforms like Flickr, SmugMug, and Instagram, then Pixsy's AI-powered scanner monitors over 150 million images daily to find matches. When unauthorized use is detected, users can issue takedowns globally or submit cases for resolution with Pixsy handling the legal process. Add-on features include Protected by Pixsy badges and watermarks, and the Pixsy Academy educational resource. The platform was founded in 2014 and serves over 200,000 photographers from 125+ countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Protected by Pixsy: A badge/watermark program allowing users to display protection status on their websites and images, warning potential image users that their work is actively protected by Pixsy
Products and services
- Monitor AI-powered image monitoring platform that actively scans the public internet to discover where and how users' images are being used. Provides real-time alerts for new image matches and uses AI to automatically group and filter matches by authorized, unauthorized, or approved use.
- Resolve Copyright infringement case resolution service that recovers compensation for unauthorized image use on a no-win, no-fee basis. Pixsy's team of copyright experts and 26 international partner law firms handle the entire case process, from evidence collection through negotiation and legal pursuit.
- Takedown Automated DMCA and takedown notice tool that sends legally binding takedown notices worldwide with a single click. Legally binding in 35 international jurisdictions and supporting 15 languages.
- Register Copyright registration service that integrates directly with the US Copyright Office, allowing users to officially register their work for added legal protection directly from within the Pixsy app.
- Protected by Pixsy Badge and watermark tool that allows users to display protection status on their websites or images, with pre-designed badges and watermarks warning potential image users that their content is actively protected by Pixsy, including legal warning text.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200,000+ infringement cases handled and resolved
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pixsy
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pixsy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability5 records
Feature5 records
Pixsy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- The New York TimesflagshipGlobal copyright enforcement provider for The New York Times Company. Pixsy monitors image copyright globally for all NYT properties, protecting their powerful and creative photographs.
- Professional Photographers of America (PPA)corePartnership with the world's largest nonprofit photography association (30,000+ members in 50+ countries) to help photographers protect their work from copyright infringement using Pixsy's tools and services.
- SmugMugflagshipStrategic partnership announced August 24, 2020, to provide SmugMug's growing community of photographers with affordable, accessible, and stress-free rights protection tools. Integrates Pixsy services into the SmugMug platform.
- CherrydeckcorePartnership announced November 28, 2019, to bring robust image monitoring and copyright protection to professional photographers on Instagram. Cherrydeck is a global marketing platform for creatives with over 55,000 members.
- Binded.comcoreAcquired blockchain-based copyright platform Binded.com in September 2019. Binded had grown a community of over 15,000 creatives since 2017. Users gained access to Pixsy's market-leading copyright registration and case resolution services.
- FlickrflagshipStrategic partnership announced April 9, 2019, providing Flickr Pro photographers with the first-ever fully integrated end-to-end solution to protect their work. Pixsy's image monitoring and copyright protection tools are accessible directly through Flickr's platform.
- Art Is HelpingminorPartnership with Salem Krieger's Art Is Helping project, which connects artists with charitable organizations. Pixsy provides free Advance plan access (30,000 images) to all Art Is Helping members.
- American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)coreProfessional association of imaging professionals including photojournalists, architectural, advertising photographers, and video makers. Partnership provides Pixsy access to ASMP members for image protection services.
- American Photographic Artists (APA)coreLeading national organization run by and for professional photographers, recognized for broad industry reach. Partnership supports APA members with Pixsy's copyright protection tools.
- Association of Photographers (AOP)coreOne of the most prestigious professional photographers' associations in the world, founded 1968. Partnership provides members with access to Pixsy's enforcement and resolution services.
- Guild of PhotographerscoreUK-based association for all individuals committed to professional photography. Guild of Photographers announced partnership with Pixsy in August 2015.
- CEPIC (Center of the Picture Industry)coreCoordination of European Picture Agencies Stock, Press and Heritage. CEPIC federates 400 picture agencies and photo libraries in 20 countries across Europe.
- Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA)coreFormerly PACA, DMLA has developed business standards and promoted ethical business practices for over 60 years, actively advocating copyright protection for members.
- Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators (CAPIC)coreNational not-for-profit association dedicated to safeguarding photographers, illustrators, and digital artists. Six chapters spanning from Halifax to Vancouver.
- Master Photographers International (MPI)minorCanadian-based organization bringing awareness about the professional photography industry and the importance of hiring qualified professionals.
- Deutscher Fachjournalisten-Verband (DFJV)minorGerman Association of Journalists representing more than 11,500 journalists with advocacy, education, representation and legal assistance.
- 26 Partner Law FirmscoreGlobal network of expert legal partners and law firms across the world to pursue copyright infringement matters. The network has grown from 11 countries in 2016 to 26 law firms globally by 2017.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Pixsy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Getty Images: Getty Images operates one of the world's largest stock image libraries with proprietary rights enforcement capabilities for its contributor content, competing with Pixsy for image licensing and protection services at the high end of the market.
- Digimarc: Digimarc is an established digital watermarking and identification company providing enterprise-grade image protection technology to large brands and media companies—overlapping with Pixsy at the enterprise enforcement layer.
- Adobe: Adobe's Creative Cloud ecosystem includes content attribution features (Content Authenticity Initiative) and embedded metadata workflows that overlap with Pixsy's Register and protection capabilities for professional creators.
- Shutterstock: Shutterstock operates a global stock content marketplace with contributor rights management and content protection tooling, serving as a broad incumbent in image licensing with partial overlap to Pixsy's enforcement value proposition.
Emerging players
- PhotoShelter: PhotoShelter is a portfolio and e-commerce platform for professional photographers that has begun offering rights management and protection tools, positioning it as a partial competitor and potential partner to Pixsy.
- Imatag: Imatag provides AI-based image tracking and watermarking for visual content protection, focused on enterprise customers—a smaller, emerging player whose technology stack overlaps with Pixsy's monitoring capability.
Others
- Pexels: Pexels is a free stock photography platform that sits at the opposite end of the protection spectrum; relevant as an ecosystem participant driving the broader image usage patterns that Pixsy monitors and protects against.
Direct peers
- ImageRights: ImageRights provides image copyright enforcement services for photographers and agencies, combining reverse image search with takedown and recovery—directly overlapping Pixsy's end-to-end workflow.
- TinEye: TinEye is a pioneer in reverse image search technology used to find where images appear online—the closest direct competitor to Pixsy's core Monitor product for individual creators and rights holders.
- Copytrack: Copytrack offers global image rights enforcement and licensing recovery with a network of international lawyers, competing head-to-head with Pixsy's Resolve service, particularly in European markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pixsy social profiles
Digital presencePixsy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pixsy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Pixsy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Pixsy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pixsy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pixsy
What does Pixsy do?
Pixsy operates an AI-powered image monitoring and copyright enforcement platform that scans the public internet to find unauthorized uses of users' images. When matches are detected, users can send automated DMCA takedown notices globally across 35 jurisdictions and 15 languages, or submit cases to Pixsy's team of copyright experts and 26 partner law firms for compensation recovery on a no-win, no-fee (50% contingency) basis. The platform also integrates with the US Copyright Office to officially register user works for added legal protection.
Is Pixsy a public or private company?
Pixsy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Pixsy founded?
Pixsy was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pixsy based?
Pixsy is headquartered in Covina, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pixsy make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are case Resolution (No Win, No Fee).
Who are Pixsy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Getty Images, Digimarc, Adobe and Shutterstock. Emerging players are PhotoShelter and Imatag. Pexels is listed as an others. Direct peers are ImageRights, TinEye and Copytrack.
Does Pixsy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pixsy.
What industry is Pixsy in?
Pixsy's product category is Image Copyright Protection. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAMAC, Piracy Monitoring & Discovery (Web/Social/App Store/UGC Crawling). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7829.