Context: At the start of July, Access Advance published the list of 31 licensors that have joined its Video Distribution Pool (VDP) – only two of which remained anonymous at the time. These included, but were not limited to, Dolby, Philips, Mitsubishi Electric, Hyundai, and KIA, as well as four that are both licensors and licensees: ByteDance (TikTok), Kuaishou, NTT Docomo, and Tencent (July 1, 2025 ip fray article).
What’s new: The pool has now confirmed that OPPO and Siemens are also VDP licensors in a press release that also quotes several major players who have recently joined.
The following are the statements that various heads of IP and/or patent licensing have made on why they joined the pool:
Juan Qi, Chief IP Counsel of ByteDance, said:
“Participating in the VDP Pool underscores our ongoing commitment to open collaboration and equitable innovation. Together with industry participants, we aim to foster a healthy patent ecosystem that not only inspires creativity worldwide but also nurtures a sustainable video community for the future.”
Yuan Lu, the CIPO at Kuaishou, highlighted the pool’s role in accelerating innovation:
“Contributing our patents while gaining access to the broader ecosystem perfectly aligns with our vision: connecting hundreds of millions of users through livestreaming and short videos, empowering communities and businesses with cutting-edge technology and innovative products, and fueling high-quality digital-driven economic acceleration in China and beyond. This partnership enables us and others in the industry to focus on delivering even more engaging platforms for creators and their audiences.”
Vincent Lin, Head of Patent Licensing at OPPO, praised how the pool helps to balance the interests between licensors and licensees:
“We are pleased to be part of a collective effort that encourages transparency and balance in the patent licensing for the video streaming industry. The VDP Pool demonstrates how collaborative licensing can support long-term growth for the ecosystem, which is consistent with OPPO’s sustained IP strategy.”
Steven Liu, Director, Legal & IP at MediaTek, emphasized the pool’s importance for device manufacturers:
“HFI joined VDP because it will promote the adoption of the latest and greatest codecs in the content portfolio and, in turn, drive innovation in the device ecosystem.”
Andy Sherman, Executive Vice President, Patent Licensing, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Dolby (whom ip fray recently interviewed: March 31, 2025 ip fray article), also expressed his strong support for the collaborative model:
“As an innovator and collaborator in video technologies, we’re pleased to contribute our patents to the VDP Pool. This licensing framework supports the industry and brings licensors and licensees together to ensure that innovation remains accessible to the video streaming industry while also fostering continued growth and development of next-generation video experiences.”
Shu-Jia Mei, leader of patent licensing at Tencent, emphasized the operational benefits:
“The VDP Pool’s one-stop licensing model promises increased certainty and efficiency for the video codec market. As both a licensor and licensee, we are committed to helping the industry foster a robust and sustainable video codec ecosystem, which empowers innovators to focus on creating advanced video technologies that meet the needs of users.”