av1 / dolby / snap

Dolby Laboratories sued Snap in U.S. District Court, alleging Snap’s use of AV1 video codec infringes four Dolby patents and seeking a jury trial, injunctions and a declaration Dolby need not license those patents royalty-free. The suit contends AV1 implementations reuse HEVC-like techniques for block-based coding, entropy coding and prediction, and that Snap decodes, encodes and streams AV1 content without licenses despite being offered pool or bilateral licensing options via Access Advance. The case challenges AOMedia’s claim that AV1 is royalty-free, raises questions about third-party patent exposure for AV1 adopters, and could unsettle industry plans for open, royalty-free video compression across streaming apps and device ecosystems.

Dolby has filed a patent lawsuit against Snap over AV1 video codec use in Snapchat, challenging the widely promoted “open, royalty-free” claim for AV1. The suit alleges Snap’s use of technology covered by Dolby patents despite AV1 being touted by companies like Google, Netflix and the Alliance for Open Media as royalty-free. This matters because AV1’s adoption across streaming, social media and browsers underpins bandwidth savings and competitive pressure on HEVC/H.264 royalties; patent claims could introduce licensing costs, uncertainty for developers, and slow deployment. The outcome could reshape codec adoption, vendor strategies, and legal exposure for platforms, device makers, and the broader video ecosystem.

Dolby Laboratories sued Snap in Delaware, alleging Snap’s use of AV1 video codec infringes four Dolby patents and that Dolby is not obliged to license them royalty-free. Dolby says AV1 incorporates technologies present in HEVC and other prior patents, and accuses Snap of decoding and encoding AV1 in its app without licensing via Access Advance’s patent pool or bilateral deals. Dolby seeks a jury trial, a court declaration on licensing obligations, and an injunction against further infringement. The case challenges AV1’s royalty-free promise from the Alliance for Open Media and could reshape codec licensing, affecting streaming, device makers, and firms relying on AV1 for efficient video delivery.

Dolby Laboratories sued Snap in US District Court, alleging Snap’s use of AV1 video codec infringes four Dolby patents and that Dolby isn’t obliged to license them royalty-free. Dolby contends AV1 reuses HEVC-like, patented techniques and says Access Advance — which administers AV1/HEVC-related patents — offered Snap pooled licensing options that Snap declined. The complaint seeks a jury trial, declaratory relief that Dolby need not offer FRAND-free licenses, and an injunction against Snap’s alleged infringement; it stresses the patents are critical to Snapchat’s video delivery which detects and streams AV1 when supported. The suit challenges AV1’s royalty-free promise and could force licensing debates across codec implementers and platform owners.