Access Advance LLC ("Advance") today announced the inaugural roster of licensees and licensors for its Video Distribution Patent ("VDP") Pool, marking a significant milestone in the program's rapid market adoption since its January announcement. The participation of major global companies heavily involved in video codec technology demonstrates strong industry support for the comprehensive licensing solution covering HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs.

The VDP Pool has successfully attracted a group of licensees/licensors including ByteDance, Kuaishou, NTT Docomo, and Tencent. This represents the beginning of what Access Advance expects to be widespread adoption among content streaming providers seeking simplified codec licensing. The licensees’ participation provides immediate access to the wide-ranging patent portfolio while benefiting from the fixed tiered pricing structure designed to scale with business size.

"We're pleased to welcome ByteDance, Kuaishou, NTT Docomo and Tencent as our first VDP Pool licensees/licensors. Their commitment to the VDP program demonstrates the practical value of our one-stop-shop approach and the fact that the VDP program has successfully struck a balance between patent owners and implementers," said Peter Moller, CEO of Access Advance. "This milestone shows that the VDP Pool is delivering on its promise to provide simplicity and predictability for online video distributors, allowing them to focus on innovation and content delivery rather than complex patent negotiations."

The VDP Pool has also confirmed a large group of licensors representing a strong and substantial portfolio of standard essential patents for video codecs, positioning the pool to provide extensive intellectual property coverage for video streaming services. This initial group of patent owners includes the following internationally recognized technology leaders whose innovations are fundamental to modern video streaming infrastructure:

1. BlackBerry Limited
2. ByteDance
3. Dolby International AB
4. Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
5. Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
6. Ewha University-Industry Collaboration Foundation
7. Hangzhou Boyun Technology Co., Ltd.
8. HFI Innovation Inc.
9. Hyundai Motor Company
10. IBEX PT Holdings
11. IDEAHUB Inc.
12. Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.
13. JVCKENWOOD Corporation
14. Kia Corporation
15. Koninklijke Philips N.V.
16. KT Corporation
17. Kuaishou Technology
18. Kwangwoon University, Industry-Academic Collaboration Foundation
19. LX Semicon Co., Ltd
20. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
21. NEC Corporation
22. NTT DOCOMO, Inc.
23. OP Solutions, LLC
24. SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
25. Tencent America LLC
26. University-Industry Cooperation Foundation of Korea Aerospace University
27. University-Industry Cooperation Group of Kyung Hee University
28. V-Nova Limited
29. XRIS Corporation
30. Additional Licensor to be disclosed shortly
31. Additional Licensor to be disclosed shortly

"The strong participation from major industry players and patent holders validates our approach and demonstrates that the VDP program is the preferred solution to the market's need for a unified licensing solution that balances the interest of patent owners and implementers," Moller added. "These licensors bring not only essential patent portfolios but also the credibility and scale necessary to make the VDP Pool the preferred licensing destination for streaming video providers globally."

The announcement comes as the industry increasingly seeks to license video codec patents directly to content streaming providers, who have benefited significantly from the use of patented, efficient video codecs. Access Advance's approach aims to provide broad access to patented technology while promoting continued innovation in video codec technologies.

Access Advance is in the process of finalizing agreements with several more licensors and licensees. More announcements will be made in the coming days and weeks. In addition, the VDP Pool rate structure has been posted to the Access Advance website (https://accessadvance.com/vdp-pool-royalty). The company encourages all internet video distributors and patent owners to learn more about the program, including available incentives and discounts, by contacting us at licensing@accessadvance.com.

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 25,500 patents essential to H.265/HEVC technology and the VVC Advance Patent Pool for licensing essential patents 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 VDP Pool, a comprehensive licensing solution for video streaming services covering HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs. For more information, please visit: www.accessadvance.com.

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The licensees’ participation provides immediate access to the wide-ranging patent portfolio while benefiting from the fixed tiered pricing structure designed to scale with business size.