Access Advance Video Distribution Patent Pool Gains Further Momentum with the Signing of Alibaba, ZTE, and Youku

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Access Advance LLC today announced that Alibaba Group and ZTE Corporation have joined the Video Distribution Patent ("VDP") Pool as Licensors and Alibaba Group’s subsidiary Youku, one of China's leading video streaming platforms, has joined as a Licensee. The participation of these industry leaders strengthens the VDP Pool's comprehensive licensing solution by adding extensive patent portfolios, including significant contributions to both the HEVC/H.265 and the VVC/H.266 standard, while expanding coverage to Youku's massive user base.

"We're delighted to welcome Alibaba, ZTE and Youku to the VDP Pool," said Peter Moller, CEO of Access Advance. "The addition of Alibaba and ZTE as Licensors brings critical intellectual property assets to the VDP Pool, while Youku's participation as a Licensee demonstrates the value of the pool's flexibility, predictable cost model, and simplified administration for major streaming platforms. They join other technology leaders including ByteDance, Kuaishou, NTT Docomo, and Tencent in demonstrating the VDP Pool's value for the global streaming ecosystem."

These additions to the VDP Pool further support the pool's balanced approach, where both patent owners and implementers benefit from simplified licensing. Additionally, they underscore how the VDP Pool enables innovation by serving the evolving needs of today's interconnected video distribution landscape and providing maximum flexibility for codec deployment across diverse business models.

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 27,500 patents essential to H.265/HEVC technology and the VVC Advance Patent Pool for licensing essential patents to H.266/VVC 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.