The Alliance for Open Media Statement

1 minute read

AOMedia Statement on Recent Announcement of Joint Patent Licensing Effort on AV1

The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) unites leading internet and media technology companies in a collaborative effort to offer open, royalty-free and interoperable solutions for the next generation of media delivery. AOMedia is aware of the recent third-party announcement attempting to launch a joint patent licensing program for AV1. AOMedia was founded to leave behind the very environment that the announcement endorses – one whose high patent royalty requirements and licensing uncertainty limit the potential of free and open online video technology. By settling patent licensing terms up front with the royalty-free AOMedia Patent License 1.0, AOMedia is confident that AV1 overcomes these challenges to help usher in the next generation of video-oriented experiences.

AOMedia designed AV1 based on the pioneering and industry-leading video codec technologies, patented techniques and intellectual property of its members. AOMedia is committed to protecting the AV1 ecosystem and has already taken significant action including the following:

  • Established a royalty-free patent licensing commitment from all AOMedia members for AV1 implementations – the very same policy the W3C standards body has used to create royalty-free web technologies;

  • Completed a comprehensive evaluation of the video codec patent landscape and performance of patent due diligence by world-class codec engineers and legal professionals during the development stage;

  • Adopted the AOMedia Patent License 1.0, which gives all AV1 implementers, both AOMedia members and non-members, royalty-free patent rights to the AV1 codec in exchange for the same royalty-free patent commitment; and

  • Established the AOMedia patent defense program to help protect AV1 ecosystem participants in the event of patent claims.

AOMedia's dedication to a royalty-free media ecosystem will enable superior quality online video to thrive across screens, devices and platforms.

You may also enjoy