HEVC/VVC Frequently Asked Questions
The HEVC/VVC Patent Portfolio License provides coverage for the HEVC and VVC Standards to the extent posted here. Licensees may elect coverage under HEVC, VVC or both.
Click here for a list of Licensors of patents in the HEVC/VVC Patent Portfolio License.
Each Licensor is under an obligation to grant Via LA a worldwide, nonexclusive license under all HEVC and/or VVC Essential Patents, as applicable, that it and its Affiliates presently or in the future has the right to license or sublicense (without payment to any third party which is not an Affiliate), enabling Via LA to grant worldwide, nonexclusive sublicenses under terms of the HEVC/VVC Patent Portfolio License.
The royalties payable under the License do not increase or decrease because of an increase or decrease in the number of HEVC and/or VVC Essential Patents or because of an increase or decrease in the prices of a Licensee's HEVC or VVC Licensed Products. Rather, they are the value of a license granted under the Patent Portfolio taking into consideration the commercial intention of the Licensors to facilitate adoption of the HEVC and VVC Standards and make available a pool license in which royalties are the same whether one or more patents is used. New Licensors and new patents are added at no additional cost during the current Term of the License.
While Licensors are under an obligation to grant to Via LA a worldwide, nonexclusive license under all HEVC and/or VVC Essential Patents (as applicable) that it and its Affiliates presently or in the future has the right to license or sublicense, enabling Via LA to grant worldwide, nonexclusive sublicenses under terms of the HEVC/VVC Patent Portfolio License, no assurance is or can be made that the License includes every essential patent. The purpose of the License is to offer a convenient licensing alternative to everyone on the same terms and to include as much essential intellectual property as possible for their convenience; however, participation in the License is voluntary on the part of essential patent holders.
Any party that believes it has patents which are essential to the HEVC and/or VVC Standards, and wishes to participate in the HEVC/VVC Patent Portfolio License upon successful evaluation, is invited to submit them for evaluation and inclusion. Please contact Via LA at ProgramManagement@via-la.com to request a copy of the submission procedures and the terms and conditions governing the submission of patents for essentiality determination in order to join the HEVC/VVC Licensing Program.
It is up to each user to determine its own licensing needs and how it wishes to meet them. The HEVC/VVC Patent Portfolio License is provided for a user's convenience in acquiring patent rights necessary for the HEVC and VVC Standards from multiple essential patent holders in a single transaction as an alternative to negotiating separate license agreements with individual Licensors. Users are free to negotiate directly with one or more Licensors for a separate license under one or more Essential Patents under independently negotiated terms, however. In addition, as discussed above, users who take Via LA's license may have to negotiate licenses for essential patents that are not included. A license also may be necessary for other important patents (that are not essential to the HEVC or VVC standard).
Royalties apply as defined in the License. Click here for information.
It is common for certain jurisdictions to provide tax incentives to companies if they complete the final assembly of a product locally (e.g., “knockdown kits”). Royalties are still due, however, either because the large majority of manufacturing or final use of the product still occurs in a jurisdiction(s) where there is significant patent coverage.
Yes, the same terms apply whether one or more profiles is used.