Velos Media launches independent HEVC licensing platform

Velos Media is launching an independent licensing platform for advanced video coding technologies, in particular for high-efficiency video coding (HEVC).

Velos Media’s portfolio includes “standard-essential” patents from companies including Ericsson, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Sharp and Sony.

HEVC, or H.265, is built to reduce the bandwidth needed to download video files while maintaining the quality of the images. Velos says it is offering simplified access to patents at “reasonable rates and with one license,” for companies using the HEVC codec.

Velos Media will be run as an independent company but was founded by the Marconi Group, which claims it is establishing new platforms that “transform patent licensing across different technologies and products.”

“We’re streamlining the patent licensing process by offering a single license to end user product companies that manufacture or sell HEVC-enabled devices, thereby creating a solution for them and patent holders alike,” said Kasim Alfalahi, co-founder of the Marconi Group, in a statement. “This solution is available to all who wish to participate, and we welcome interest from other innovators who have contributed to the HEVC standard and have patents representing those contributions. We’re excited to have Fred Telecky at the helm of Velos Media. Fred brings more than 25 years of experience in managing a highly successful licensing business at Texas Instruments.”

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“With the growing popularity of video and the continued investment in new video technologies, there’s a need for a reasonable and efficient path for innovators to receive a return on their R&D investment and also for companies creating products to obtain access to the patents covering these technologies in a way that makes sense for their businesses,” said Fred Telecky, president of Velos Media, in a statement. “At Velos Media, licensees will have direct access to the most comprehensive standard-essential HEVC patent portfolio available, with one license, reducing transaction costs and time to market.”

Velos Media says it will license its HEVC patent portfolio on terms that are reasonable and nondiscriminatory. A Velos Media license will cover all HEVC standard-essential patents and future patents granted from currently pending applications.

Velos Media will represent an alternative to other HEVC patent pools like HEVC Advance, which are currently working to speed adoption of the video compression standard.