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Siemens AG Was The Last Holdout in MPEG-4 Visual's Road to Being Patent-Free
The final patent, active in Brazil, expired on July 19, 2026.
Sourav Rudra22 Jul 2026
The MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License has been in effect since January 1, 2000, covering essential patents behind the MPEG-4 Part 2 Visual standard from more than 30 licensors, including Canon, LG, Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony, and Toshiba.
As of July 19, 2026, every one of those patents has expired. The very last one standing belonged to Siemens AG, active only in Brazil. VIA Licensing Alliance, the body that administers the portfolio, has already taken down the webpage for it, which was around until July 18, a day before the expiry.
The patent in question is BR PI0109962-0, titled "process for storing and processing image information from successive images over time."