On December 15, 2025, Access Advance LLC (hereinafter referred to as “Access Advance”) and Via Licensing Alliance (hereinafter referred to as “Via LA”) jointly announced that Access Advance has formally acquired Via LA's HEVC and VVC patent licensing programs. This move aims to streamline the video licensing landscape, providing more efficient and transparent solutions for licensors and licensees.

HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), also known as the H.265 standard, offers approximately 50% higher compression efficiency compared to the previous generation AVC/H.264. It is widely used in scenarios such as 4K/8K ultra-high-definition video, streaming media transmission, and Blu-ray. VVC (Versatile Video Coding), also known as the H.266 standard, further enhances compression efficiency by approximately 30%–50% over HEVC, primarily targeting emerging applications such as ultra-high-definition video, VR/AR, and cloud gaming.

According to information disclosed by both parties, existing patent pools will continue to operate separately during the transition period. Access Advance currently manages the HEVC Advance and VVC Advance patent licensing programs; Via LA continues to manage its existing HEVC and VVC patent pools.

Via Licensing Alliance is a patent licensing platform formed after Via Licensing completed the integration of MPEG LA's related businesses. It currently operates and manages multiple video coding patent pools originally under the MPEG LA system. Prior to this transaction, Via LA's HEVC and VVC programs already functioned independently within this framework. Access Advance plans to progressively advance integration by the end of 2026, ultimately establishing a unified HEVC and VVC patent licensing platform.

Access Advance stated it will uphold service commitments to existing licensees while gradually integrating resources and licensing systems, aiming to establish a unified and transparent HEVC/VVC licensing mechanism by 2026.