你的编解码器将花费你什么:罗伯特J.L. 摩尔谈论Avanci视频编解码器专利池启动

Avanci这是一家总部位于达拉斯的授权公司由马可尼于2017年创立 that specializes in the consolidation of technology patents, recently announced the formation of Avanci视频, 一个新的视频池，旨在为视频流编解码器许可场景带来秩序, 建立一个新的专利池来引进AV1, HEVC, VVC， MPEG-DASH和VP9在同一许可平台下. 该泳池推出时拥有超过25家授权商, 编解码器的主要贡献者之一, 比如LG和华为. 访问之前另一个专利池，将继续授权设备oem为H.264和H.265，而Avanci专注于内容提供商.

流媒体特约编辑 1月时 of 流媒体学习中心最近，他与知识产权律师Volpe Koenig进行了交谈罗伯特·摩尔关于Avanci视频, 它对行业的影响, 以及为什么马可尼选择将其Avanci专利组合扩展到视频编解码器. "Marconi perceived that there was a need to address risk that content providers were taking on with the full contingent of video codecs as well as MPEG-DASH,摩尔说, 这就是他们想要填补的."

降低编解码器许可方的风险

深入了解这些专利池如何帮助许可方降低风险, 摩尔解释说, "If there is implementation of a standard and that risk is not licensed or otherwise authorized, 实现者有被起诉的风险. 现在，这种风险在很多情况下被诸如弗兰德的义务, or even just simple business considerations--one party not wanting to sue its customer or not wanting to sue a rival for fear of a lawsuit. 说了这么多, there are parties that will make it their business to go and exact the cost for their investment in creating a standard. 这种风险可以用多种方式来解释. 这可以由双方来解释. 这是传统的方式。. “其次, patent pools can provide the market with an easier way to account for that risk more transparently. 这是一个更公平的竞争环境, 它也可以, 从许可方的角度来看, 提供可预测和有规律的回报."

DASH适用于哪里??

关于新池中涵盖的技术，Ozer问在哪里 MPEG-DASH 考虑到它与长期存在的MPEG-LA池的联系，这是合适的并入通过拉今年早些时候. “早在20世纪90年代末，MPEG-LA就已经有了一个池子. 发生了什么事，我们现在在哪里?"

“我认为那个游泳池已经不复存在了. 我不确定MPEG-LA池是在MPEG-LA与Via合并之前还是之后被删除的, but I think Avanci thought that it made sense to include MPEG-DASH along with the other codecs because the people that they were trying to license would probably want to clear all that risk at once."

泳池里的每个人?

至于Avanci视频瞄准的“互联网流媒体公司”, 时问, “他们是在追逐cdn吗, 他们是在追出版商吗, 他们是在追服务提供商吗, 或者以上都是?"

“我不知道是否有一个明确的答案，”摩尔说. “我确实记得读到过，目标之一将是ott. 我不确定这是它的范围."

当然, the key question for content companies with this or any patent pool is how royalties apply to content and how those royalties will apply to the content they provide. But how usage is calculated and assessed from a royalty perspective remains a moving target as the nature of video encoding evolves.

“传统上, patent pools identified one part of the value chain for the feature of video compression to push all the royalties onto, under the thinking that the rest of the universe that was perhaps also implementing that standard would adapt accordingly,摩尔解释道. "So if the devices are paying for the feature of video compression and the streamers are not, 也许这可以用其他方式来解释. 可能会有双边协议, 例如, between the streamers and the device OEMs for a certain percentage of revenue every time a subscriber signs up using the device OEM's device. 这其实是一种很常见的解释方式, but now we are seeing an increased move to isolate the patent risk for content providers. 在最近的过去，我们看到了一些诉讼. 有德国针对Netflix的禁令, and that was using standard essential patents for HEVC and there's an increased perception. I intuit on the part of licensors to say that not even close to all the value of the feature of video compression is captured by the device OEMs, 随着编码越来越多, 代码转换, 解码是在云端进行的，而不是在设备上. So maybe it doesn't make as much sense to have the devices be the only port of call for patent royalties."

评估Avanci 25

时问 what percentage Avanci's 25 initial licensors represents of the overall landscape--particularly with several other similar patent pools in play--and what it all means for companies not on that list.

Avanci视频的初始许可人

“我认为这是一份令人印象深刻的初始授权商名单. 你有很多主要贡献者对各种编解码器，”摩尔说. “LG在HEVC中占据强势地位. 华为是VVC的主要贡献者之一, 他们也是最初特遣队的一部分. 所以你可能会想要清除各种许可人的风险. I can't tell you what the percentage of any given codecs are represented in this list of licensors, but it's generally true that the list of orders grows over time and the price doesn't change. 所以如果你是一个被许可人，你今天注册了, the price that they're giving you is what Marconi believes is a fair price for the feature of video compression, understanding that they're probably going to get more and more patent coverage over time."

尽管Avanci视频没有在其网站的FAQ中提供定价, 它确实表明(呼应摩尔的观点), "The royalty rates in your Avanci video license will not increase as new licensors join the Avanci视频. 平台和许可中包含的专利数量也在增长."

编解码器许可方的巨大变化?

从更广泛的角度来看视频编解码器专利池传奇的最新发展, 时问, “这是否标志着某种翻天覆地的变化? 如果你没有假设你最终要支付版税, 突然间，你的财务人员会过来跟你说, ‘嘿, 我们必须在收入和费用中考虑到这一点,“还是你觉得这太离谱了??"

“我要走中间路线，”摩尔回避道. “从某种意义上说，这是MPEG编解码器的一个巨大变化, 一度, an opportunity for content providers to get a free covenant not to sue from 访问之前, 至少. I believe that 通过拉 had a similar program, so in that sense, implementations were free. 记住这一点 HVEC提前 in particular had a critical mass of the rights that you would need to license if you were a content provider,他继续说道. 因此，你可能一度认为它是免费的. If that opportunity to get the rights you want for free is going away, then that is a change. And I note that there are by my count five or six companies that are amongst the initial licensors to the Avanci pool that are also part of the 访问之前 pool."

And how will Avanci's arrival on the scene affect companies' codec choices going forward?

“从在线旅行社的角度来看, I think it takes the question of which codec has a patent cost associated with it off the table, 因为现在他们都知道了,摩尔解释道. “Avanci游泳池是, 据我所知, intended to create a level playing field in the sense that there's going to be a patent cost associated with each of the codecs, 所以你不妨选择一个最适合你需要的. 一度,他继续说道, “普遍的看法是(ott)可能不得不为MPEG编解码器付费, 但vpx编解码器套件不包括AV1. 我不认为这将是未来的情况. I hope that the OTTs draw the appropriate lessons from this announcement that they are going to have to pay something."

To learn more about the forever-in-flux status of streaming codec patent pools and their implications for the industry, join Robert Moore at 流媒体 Connect on November 15 as he moderates the virtual panel 深度分析:2024年编解码器专利池将如何影响流媒体.

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