Description
To identify relevant patents, comprehensive searches were conducted across multiple patent databases using a combination of search strings, IPC/CPC classifications, and HEVC–specific keywords.
To determine the essentiality of a patent, each claim is compared to the H.265 standard to identify whether the patented claim’s elements are present in the standard. Essentiality is checked with respect to all versions of HEVC, respectively, as improvements have been gradually implemented to address evolving technological demands in HEVC.
Patented claim is compared to the standard, and if every element of the claim aligns with the H.265 specifications, the patent is considered essential. On the other hand, if any element is not present or there is a contradiction between the claim and the standard (e.g., conflicting requirements or descriptions), the patent is considered non-essential. This manual evaluation process ensures that only patents fully aligned with the H.265 standard’s requirements are classified as essential.
Frequently asked questions
What does this report say about InterDigital’s HEVC patents?
It reports an essentiality analysis of InterDigital’s portfolio against the HEVC/H.265 standard, based on 102 active granted patents identified as related to HEVC technology. Each patent was evaluated by mapping the elements of its independent claims to the relevant sections of the standard. The analysis is grouped by technology area, covering Block-based coding, Predictive Coding, Transformation and Quantization, Multi-layer and Filtering, which shows where the portfolio sits within the coding chain.
How was each patent evaluated?
By hand, claim by claim. Each claim is compared with the H.265 standard to check whether the claimed elements are present in the specification. If every element aligns, the patent is considered essential. If an element is not present, or the claim contradicts the standard through conflicting requirements or descriptions, the patent is considered non-essential. The check runs against all versions of HEVC, because the standard gained features over time. Manual review is slower than automated scoring, but it keeps each conclusion traceable to the standard text.
What does a non-essential result mean for a reader?
It means the claim as written does not read fully on the H.265 standard, so implementing the standard alone would not require a licence to that claim. The patent may still hold value. It can cover a product feature, an optional extension, or a design choice that many implementations make but the standard does not mandate. A non-essential result is a technical finding about the claim and the specification, not a statement about the validity or the worth of the patent.
How do I obtain the report, and can it be tailored?
It is available on request through the contact page on the website, and the scope can be tailored. There is no online purchase and no instant download. Send an enquiry describing what you need, for example a single technology area, a subset of the 102 patents, added claim charts, or the same analysis run on a different HEVC portfolio, and the work can be prepared to match. The deliverable is confirmed in reply to the request.
