Access Advance

What Access Advance does

Access Advance LLC, founded in 2015 as HEVC Advance LLC and rebranded in 2021, is an independent patent pool licensing administrator headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company administers patent pools that aggregate standard-essential patents (SEPs) for major video codec technologies, offering implementers a single license covering multiple patent holders rather than requiring dozens or hundreds of separate bilateral negotiations. Its core products are three patent pools: the HEVC Advance Patent Pool (covering over 27,000 essential patents for H.265, representing approximately 75-80% of global HEVC SEPs), the VVC Advance Patent Pool (covering 3,600+ patents for H.266), and the Video Distribution Patent Pool launched in January 2025 (covering HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1 for streaming services). A Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement (MCBA) offers discounted rates for products implementing both HEVC and VVC.

Access Advance generates revenue through licensing royalties collected on behalf of patent owners, retaining an administration fee. Royalty rates are tailored to product type, country-of-sale, and compliance status rather than one-size-fits-all, and the company publishes royalty rate tables and white papers to demonstrate FRAND compliance, which has been independently validated by Criterion Economics. The company serves three primary segments: device manufacturers implementing video codec functionality, video streaming platforms distributing encoded content, and patent owners seeking efficient licensing administration and enforcement support. As of 2024, the HEVC pool had over 320 licensees and 43 licensors, growing to 350+ licensees by 2025. The company operates with 11-50 employees under CEO Peter Moller (formerly of GE) and CLO John Kinton, pursuing active litigation in the US, Germany, and Brazil to enforce pool patents, including landmark actions against Roku and the first AV1 patent assertion against Snap Inc.

Name

Access Advance

Legal name

Access Advance LLC

Website

https://accessadvance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Access Advance LLC is an independent patent pool licensing administrator that aggregates standard-essential patents for major video codecs (HEVC, VVC, VP9, AV1), serving device manufacturers, streaming platforms, and patent owners with single-license, FRAND-compliant coverage instead of bilateral negotiations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patent Pool Licensing Administration

NAICS

Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (53311)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards-Essential Patents (SEP) & FRAND Advisory (BPAHAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

Keywords

• Patent pool licensing
• Video codec licensing
• Intellectual property administration
• Standard essential patents
• FRAND licensing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Patent Portfolio Licensing - HEVC Advance: Licensees pay royalties for products incorporating HEVC/H.265 encoding and/or decoding capability. Royalty rates are tailored based on product type, country-of-sale, and compliance. Initial 5-year period with royalty rate increases capped at 20% after that period.
2. Patent Portfolio Licensing - VVC Advance: Licensees pay royalties for products incorporating VVC/H.266 encoding and/or decoding capability. Early adopters who obtain license before first sale receive 10% discount during initial 5-year period ending December 31, 2025.
3. Video Distribution Patent Pool Licensing: Single one-stop-shop license for internet streaming covering HEVC, VVC, AV1, and VP9 codecs with fixed tiered pricing scaled to the size of the video distributor's business.
4. Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement (MCBA): Administrative agreement providing discounts to aggregate royalty rates and caps for products implementing both HEVC and VVC codecs, compared to separate pool rates. Also offers streamlined reporting and other benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Access Advance is an independent patent pool licensing administrator that develops, administers, and manages patent pools covering standard-essential patents (SEPs) for major video codec technologies including HEVC/H.265, VVC/H.266, VP9, and AV1. The company licenses these patent portfolios on behalf of patent owners to device manufacturers, streaming platforms, and other implementers under FRAND terms, providing one-stop-shop licensing in place of numerous bilateral agreements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HEVC Advance: Patent pool licensing program for HEVC/H.265 video codec technology essential patents.
• VVC Advance
• Video Distribution Patent Pool (VDP Pool)
• Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement (MCBA)

Products and services

• HEVC Advance Patent Pool Patent pool licensing program providing a single worldwide Patent Portfolio License for patents essential to the HEVC/H.265 video codec standard. Designed for device manufacturers and software implementers whose products include HEVC encoding and/or decoding functionality, with royalty rates tailored by product type, country-of-sale, and compliance.
• VVC Advance Patent Pool Patent pool licensing program for patents essential to the VVC/H.266 and VSEI video codec standards. Provides single-license coverage for device manufacturers and software implementers, with an early-adopter discount for companies licensing before first sale.
• Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement (MCBA) An optional administrative agreement available to licensees of both the HEVC Advance and VVC Advance patent pools who implement products containing both codecs. Provides aggregate royalty discounts, caps, and streamlined reporting versus paying the two pools separately.
• Video Distribution Patent Pool (VDP Pool) Patent pool licensing program offering a single license for standard-essential patents covering all four major video codecs (HEVC/H.265, VVC/H.266, VP9, and AV1) used by internet video streaming and distribution providers. Features fixed tiered royalties scaled to the size of the video distributor's business.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced transaction costs compared to negotiating 56 separate bilateral licenses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sharp CorporationcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 24 March 2026Joined Access Advance Video Distribution Patent Pool as Licensor, expanding the pool's patent portfolio for modern video codec technologies including HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1.
• CB ClinecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 24 March 2026Joined the VDP Pool as Licensor to expand portfolio of patents for video codec technologies.
• SK PlanetcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 24 March 2026Joined the VDP Pool as Licensor for video codec patent licensing.
• Telechips, Inc.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 24 March 2026Joined the VDP Pool as Licensor for video codec patent portfolio expansion.
• Dolby Laboratories Inc.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 24 March 2026Patent holder administered through Access Advance's VDP Pool. Filed suit against Snap Inc. in US and Brazil for AV1 and HEVC patent infringement - first assertion of AV1 patents by an Access Advance licensor.
• Criterion EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026Conducted independent economic analysis confirming that the VDP Pool's royalty structure is fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) compliant across subscription, advertising-supported, and hybrid monetization models.
• HisensecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 22 December 2025Joined HEVC Advance Patent Pool for video compression technology licensing.
• XiaomicoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 18 November 2025Joined HEVC Advance and VVC Advance Patent Pools as both Licensor and Licensee, highlighting support for simplified and balanced video codec licensing with broad patent coverage implications.
• AlibabacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 11 August 2025Signed as licensee to VDP Pool for video streaming services coverage.
• ZTEcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 11 August 2025Signed as licensee to VDP Pool.
• YoukucoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 11 August 2025Signed as licensee to VDP Pool for video streaming content licensing.
• Global Technology LeaderscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 July 2025Multiple technology companies joined VDP Pool as both licensees and licensors at launch, including major streaming and device companies.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• InterDigital: InterDigital is a major patent holder and licensor in video (HEVC, VVC), wireless, and other technology standards with a sizable licensing business. While not primarily a pool administrator, it competes for SEP licensing revenue in the same codec space and sometimes participates in or bypasses pools altogether.
• RPX Corporation: RPX is a defensive patent aggregator and patent risk management firm that helps implementers reduce SEP litigation exposure. It is comparable to Access Advance as a participant in the SEP licensing ecosystem, though it operates on the buyer/implementer side rather than the pool administration side.
• Dolby Laboratories: Dolby is both a licensor through Access Advance's VDP Pool and the owner of Via Licensing Alliance, making it a peer that operates in the same SEP monetization ecosystem. It holds significant video and audio codec SEPs and is a key counterparty in the codec licensing landscape.
• Intellectual Ventures: Intellectual Ventures is a large patent holding and licensing firm that aggregates inventions and licenses them to implementers. It is comparable as a major independent patent licensing administrator that monetizes technology IP through licensing programs similar in spirit to a patent pool.

Others

• Aistemos: Aistemos provides patent analytics and competitive intelligence tools that map SEP ownership and licensing. It serves as an enabling technology provider that supports pool administrators, licensors, and licensees in tracking the same SEP ecosystems that Access Advance operates in.
• IPlytics: IPlytics is a patent analytics platform specializing in SEP tracking, standard essentiality assessment, and FRAND analysis. It is comparable as an ecosystem enabler serving the same pool administrators, licensors, and licensees that interact with Access Advance.
• Marconi Group: Marconi Group operates the Marconi Patent Pool and similar licensing administration services for wireless and other technology standards. It is comparable as an independent pool administrator in the broader SEP licensing ecosystem, though focused on different standards than Access Advance.

Direct peers

• Sisvel: Sisvel is a leading global patent pool administrator that directly competes with Access Advance in HEVC, VVC, and AV1 licensing. Both companies administer competing pools for the same video codec SEPs and target the same device and streaming implementer customers.
• Via Licensing Alliance: Via Licensing Alliance (formerly MPEG LA, now owned by Dolby) is the largest and most established patent pool administrator, having created the original AVC/H.264 pool. It is a direct competitor across multiple video and audio codec pools and represents the incumbent standard for patent pool administration.
• Avanci: Avanci operates one-stop patent pool licensing programs for cellular and IoT standards (4G, 5G, Wi-Fi) covering millions of connected devices. It is comparable to Access Advance as a modern patent pool administrator targeting OEMs and device makers with single-license pool structures.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hevcadvance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/access-advance-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Access Advance