HEVC Advance to Waive Licensing of H.265 Application-Layer Software on PCs

HEVC Advance will waive the licensing and collection of royalty fees on H.265 application-layer software downloaded to mobile devices or PCs after the initial sale of the device, the patent pool administrator said. The initiative is to “encourage widespread adoption” of H.265 technology in consumer devices, CEO Pete Moller said. H.265 technology “implemented in specialized hardware circuitry provides the best and most efficient user experience, [but] there are millions of existing mobile devices and personal computers that do not have” that hardware capability, Moller said. The initiative “is tailored to enable software app and browser providers” to include H.265 capability in their software products so “everyone can enjoy” Ultra HD video today, he said. HEVC Advance debuted a high-priced, multitiered royalty rate structure two summers ago with no provisions for incentive discounts or annual payment caps (see 1507220001). But royalty waivers, discounts and yearly caps abounded in the revised HEVC Advance pricing schedule released about a year ago after the patent pool worked many months quietly behind the scenes to accommodate industry pushback over its high rates and complicated structure (see 1512210034). The new announcement was HEVC Advance’s latest pricing concessions to land more licensees. It has three known licensees -- Sky, Strong TV and Warner Bros. Entertainment, which also joined in June as a licensor (see 1606280012). HEVC Advance’s website Tuesday designated its licensee list as “coming soon.”