SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 15, 2026) – Via Licensing Alliance (Via) today announced that it has hired Patrick Zhang as the company’s new Vice President of Licensing and Commercial Strategy. This newly created role at Via further bolsters the senior team, adding over two decades of expertise in IP litigation and licensing to the organization. In his new role, Zhang will bridge the licensing and new programs functions at Via, with a focus on expanding the company’s strategic partnerships accelerating its licensing deal flow. He will also contribute to new program growth and strategy.

“Via has always placed a strong emphasis on hiring top talent with extensive experience and relationships in the IP space,” said Kevin Mack, President of Via. “Patrick’s background, energy and expertise are an ideal fit as we continue to grow our senior team and build our momentum. We look forward to working with Patrick and leveraging his ability to consistently generate value for licensors and licensees.”

Zhang brings more than 20 years of experience spanning technology licensing, intellectual property strategy, litigation, and commercial negotiations. He has held IP litigation roles at leading global law firms such as Morrison & Foerster and Ropes & Gray, and he has also served as senior in-house counsel, overseeing IP licensing, strategy and enforcement for IP innovators and technology companies including Atlassian, Technicolor and TiVo.

 Among his notable accomplishments, Zhang served on the courtroom trial team for the landmark Apple v. Samsung smartphone litigation and has built and led sophisticated licensing and intellectual property functions for global technology organizations. More recently, he has counseled companies on AI model use and training risks amid evolving litigation and regulatory developments.

“I am very excited to join the great team at Via and look forward to working closely with Via leadership to grow our partnerships and present the balanced value proposition of a pool IP license to our customers.  It is an incredibly exciting time for technology innovation and an equally important time for intellectual property and licensing.  I look forward to bringing a balanced perspective from having sat on both sides of the negotiating table to create trust and unlock solutions.”

Zhang will be based in Via’s San Francisco office. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Cornell University and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law.  He is admitted to the bar in New York and California and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

About Via Licensing Alliance:

Via Licensing Alliance 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 has operated dozens of licensing programs for a variety of technologies. Via is an independently managed company owned by industry-leading participants with over 25 years of intellectual property licensing leadership. For more information about Via, please visit https://www.via-la.com.

Contact:
Via Licensing Alliance
Raleigh Hogan-Miller
Press@Via-LA.com

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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (May 20, 2026) – Via Licensing Alliance (Via) today announced continued momentum for its Voice Codec patent pool, including the addition of a new unnamed licensee and new licensors, NovaVoice Limited and Cordial IP, further growing the program’s patent stack and market penetration from its initial five, large global licensors. 

The addition of the new licensee, unnamed at this time, reflects growing industry adoption of the collaborative licensing pathway Via’s Voice Codec program creates for accessing IP rights to critical voice technologies. This addition reflects a growing market uptake of advanced voice technologies, including EVS and IVAS, driven by rising demand as 5G and 5G-Advanced technologies are adopted worldwide. 

Additionally, Via continues to prioritize transparency and has published its full rate structure for the Voice Codec pool, providing further clarity and predictability for implementers and to the broader market. For implementers, the full rate structure allows for complete visibility as they consider the appropriate royalty structure to choose from to meet their product level costs, evaluate future growth paths for their product lines, or plan their geographical expansion plan needs. This level of disclosure not only reduces uncertainty in licensing decisions but also enables more consistent benchmarking, reinforcing confidence in fair, market-aligned SEP licensing practices. The program’s royalty rates are listed on Via’s website at https://www.via-la.com/licensing-programs/voice-codec/#license-fees. 

The addition of the new licensors indicates increased interest from patent holders in licensing their voice technology SEPs through highly efficient, aggregated licensing vehicles such as patent pools. Future growth in both the licensor list and the number of patents consolidated through the pool license will continue to enhance the value of the Voice Codec License for implementers. Via’s Voice Codec program licensors are listed here: https://www.via-la.com/licensing-programs/voice-codec/#licensors. 

Via’s Voice Codec pool covers Enhanced Voice Services (EVS), which supports voice communications across more than one billion and growing active devices globally, as well as Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS), which will play a central role in next-generation voice and spatial audio applications. 

“We are pleased to welcome these new entrants to our pool, which signal continued growth and momentum our Voice Codec program,” said Kevin Mack, President of Via Licensing Alliance. “This pool license offers strong value relative to other market options and represents the only collaborative licensing solution for EVS and IVAS technologies, making it a smart and efficient pathway for companies seeking to license critical voice capabilities.” 

EVS remains a foundational technology for high-quality voice communications in 5G and 5G-Advanced networks, with adoption continuing to expand as 5G, 5G-Advanced and future network iterations reach global scale. As spatial audio and advanced voice technologies expand into 6G and a broader range of non-cellular devices, the importance of IVAS technologies is expected to increase, with Via’s pool offering an early and effective licensing pathway. 

For more information about the Voice Codec patent pool, including information for prospective licensees, please visit https://www.via-la.com. 

About Via Licensing Alliance: 

Via Licensing Alliance 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 has operated dozens of licensing programs for a variety of technologies. Via is an independently managed company owned by industry-leading participants with over 25 years of intellectual property licensing leadership. For more information about Via, please visit https://www.via-la.com. 

Contact:
Via Licensing Alliance
Raleigh Hogan-Miller
Press@Via-LA.com

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