BOSTON, MA AND SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / December 15, 2025 / Access Advance LLC and Via Licensing Alliance announced today Access Advance's acquisition of Via's HEVC/VVC program, a move that will simplify the video licensing landscape and provide greater clarity and efficiency for licensors and licensees worldwide.

Patent pools provide a streamlined, transparent mechanism for technology implementers to license necessary intellectual property rights, obviating the need for implementers to negotiate scores of bilateral licenses with IP rights holders and reducing transaction costs. This move underscores the critical role patent pools play in promoting the broad and efficient adoption of complex video technologies like HEVC and VVC - and balancing the interests of innovators and implementers. By simplifying the licensing structure for HEVC and VVC - a long-standing request of the industry - this acquisition reflects a benefit to the ecosystem by removing a layer of complexity and helping to ensure an equal playing field for all participants.

"This acquisition responds to what the market has requested - a one-stop shop for those seeking to license HEVC and VVC technologies for virtually all implementations," said Peter Moller, CEO of Access Advance. "Access Advance remains focused on providing transparent, efficient licensing solutions that reduce complexity for implementers while supporting the innovators who created these technologies."

Standardized technologies like HEVC and VVC form the backbone of video interoperability and ensure that video can be shared consistently and seamlessly across platforms and devices. Combining these HEVC and VVC assets for virtually all implementations under a single administrator is a critical step toward delivering the type of efficient, unified patent pool infrastructure that the industry demands.

"Today's announcement reflects Via's commitment to improving the entire licensing ecosystem," said Andy Sherman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Via Licensing Alliance. "By simplifying the structure for HEVC and VVC licensing, we will reduce fragmentation across the market and help ensure that essential video technologies remain easily accessible through clear, predictable, and efficient mechanisms."

Via remains well positioned for long term success and significant growth in existing and new programs including in wireless charging, voice, EV and semiconductors. This acquisition aims to support a licensing environment that fosters innovation, encourages broad implementation of video standards, and reduces friction across the value chain. The new structure reflects a commitment to solutions that meet the needs of a rapidly evolving digital media landscape.

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About Access Advance
Access Advance LLC is an independent licensing administrator company formed to lead the development, administration, and management of patent pools for licensing essential patents of the most important video codec technologies. Access Advance provides a transparent and efficient licensing mechanism for both patent owners and patent implementers.

Access Advance manages and administers the HEVC Advance Patent Pool for licensing over 29,000 patents essential to HEVC/H.265 technology and the VVC Advance Patent Pool for licensing over 4,500 patents essential to VVC/H.266 technology. The company's Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement provides eligible licensees with a single discounted royalty rate structure for licensees participating in both the HEVC Advance and VVC Advance pools. In addition, Access Advance offers the Video Distribution Patent Pool, a comprehensive licensing solution for video streaming services covering HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs. For more information, please visit: www.accessadvance.com.

Media Contact:
Meredith Hollander
press@accessadvance.com

About Via Licensing Alliance
Via LA is the collaborative licensing leader, dedicated to accelerating global technology adoption, fostering participation, and generating return on innovation with balanced licensing solutions for innovators and manufacturers of all sizes around the globe. Via LA has operated dozens of licensing programs for a variety of technologies consisting of nearly 25,000 patents in over 130 countries with more than 100 patent holders and nearly 10,000 licensees. Via LA is an independently managed subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, Inc., owned by industry-leading participants with over 25 years of intellectual property licensing leadership. For more information about Via LA, please visit www.Via-LA.com.

Media Contact:
Miguel Calle Jaramillo
miguel@keybridge.biz

SOURCE: Access Advance