Patent pool operator Via Licensing Alliance has appointed Tony Piotrowski as General Counsel. He will take the lead on Via’s legal affairs while also supporting its licensing efforts and other initiatives.
Mr. Piotrowski will likely feel a deep familiarity with a lot of what he encounters in his new role at Via.
He previously served as General Counsel at pool operator MPEG LA between 2012 and 2023. His tenure at MPEG LA ended around the same time it was acquired by Via’s predecessor organization, Dolby subsidiary Via Licensing. That deal led to the creation of Via in its current incarnation (May 2, 2023 Via press release).
MPEG LA had overseen numerous pool programs relating to video and audio coding, broadcast, and data transfer standards, some of which are still managed by Via today.
Mr. Piotrowski has also worked in operating company IP teams, including an 11-year stint at Philips in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For the past few years immediately prior to joining Via, he was Senior Director, Multimedia Licensing at Nokia.
“Tony is one of the most experienced professionals in the patent licensing and patent pool industry,” said Kevin Mack, President of Via. “His unique combination of legal, licensing, and business development experience will be a tremendous asset as we continue to expand our licensing programs and pursue new growth opportunities.”
Mr. Piotrowski is the latest strategic hire made by Via as it realigns its business following the MPEG LA acquisition and the subsequent sale of several programs to fellow pool operator Access Advance (December 15, 2025 ip fray article).
Mr. Mack was brought on board as President at the end of last year (April 1, 2026 ip fray article). This followed the departure of previous President Heath Hoglund, who then became Chief IP Officer at pool operator Sisvel (January 7, 2026 ip fray article). Before joining Via, Mr. Mack had been Vice President, IP & Legal Strategy at Dolby.
Earlier this year, Via appointed former TiVo, Technicolor, and Atlassian IP executive Patrick Zhang to lead development of licensing programs and strategic partnerships (June 15, 2026 ip fray article).