Access Advance revises HEVC patent license structure

Access Advance Announces its HEVC Advance Platform License, with Simplified Royalty Rates and New Licensor Royalty Allocations

BOSTON — Building on the success of its HEVC/H.265 Patent Pool, Access Advance today announced its new HEVC Advance Platform Pool structure. The new and simplified structure will benefit both HEVC implementers (licensees) and HEVC standard essential patent owners (licensors).

Licensees will receive an expanded license which now includes all HEVC Profiles through Version 7 at the existing Main/Main 10 royalty rates, eliminating the separate additional royalties required under the current license for Version 2 HEVC Profiles and Optional Patents. New Licensees to the HEVC Advance pool will execute the new Platform License and immediately have the benefit of the new expanded license. Existing licensees may transition over to the new Platform License at any time, and are encouraged to do so promptly in order to avoid any future royalty obligations for Version 2 Profiles and Optional Patents under their existing licenses.

Current Licensors—and any other entities that believe they have essential patents—may now submit Version 3-7 Profile patents for evaluation and inclusion in the license, thus earning royalties for these more recent inventions. Additionally, under the new Platform License all licensors will now be eligible to receive a minimum annual revenue allocation, ensuring licensors that hold valued patents in smaller portfolios are rewarded for their participation in the HEVC Advance pool.

According to Pete Moller, CEO of Access Advance, “The launch of the new HEVC Platform License is a major milestone for us, providing the market substantial benefits in expanded license coverage and a simplified license. We hope these changes will help accelerate adoption of many of the technology enhancements offered by the additional HEVC Profiles. As well, we hope that our new licensor benefits will help further consolidate the HEVC pool landscape, especially for patent owners with smaller patent portfolios.”

The new HEVC Advance Platform Pool structure is the first step in Access Advance’s Video Codec Platform Initiative, which will soon be expanded with the launch of the VVC Advance pool. In addition—and importantly, for products with both HEVC and VVC video codecs—we will be launching the Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement, which will offer licensees in both the HEVC Advance and VVC Advance pools a royalty rate structure that takes into account multiple video codecs on a device. This innovation responds to the market’s desire for even more efficient next-generation pool licensing structures. Further announcements on the VVC Advance Pool and Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement are expected in the near future.