In a recent interview with Jan Ozer at Streamingmedia.com, Unified Patents® co-founder and CEO Kevin Jakel discussed patent licensing problems that have hindered the adoption of High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC or H.265) and announced that Unified is working to deter patent abuse by mostly foreign entities in the Standard Essential Patent (SEP) space through its first-of-its-kind Video Codec Zone.
The Video Codec Zone seeks to introduce clarity and to assist in negotiating Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) licenses and to deter abusive, invalid, or non-essential patent assertion. The recently launched Zone combines analytics, publication, and challenges to create a holistic solution. Some parts include tools for HEVC landscaping (OPAL), valuation (OVAL), standard submission (OPEN), as well as essentiality and validity challenges. For example, Unified recently challenged a patent related to almost 7% of Velos Media’s portfolio.