Via Licensing Alliance (Via LA) announced on October 8 local time that Microsoft has joined its HEVC patent pool, resolving the dispute between its licensors and Microsoft in Germany.

Previously, between November 26, 2024, and March 6, 2025, three licensors of Via LA's High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) patent pool—M&K, Gensquare LLC, and Tagivan II—had separately filed lawsuits against Microsoft in the Düsseldorf Regional Court to enforce seven standard-essential patents and seek injunctions. These companies alleged that Microsoft used their standard-essential patents in some of its most popular products, including Windows 10, Windows 11, Surface tablets, and Xbox consoles.

This settlement also impacts the broader HEVC patent pool licensing market, currently dominated by two major patent pool managers—Access Advance and Via LA—for SEP programs. Microsoft itself is both a licensee and licensor within Access Advance's HEVC patent pool. Approximately one year ago, HP and TCL also obtained HEVC patent pool licenses from Access Advance.