European Union closes investigation into Alliance for Open Media licensing policy

The EU said it had decided to close the investigation for "priority reasons" but that it will "continue to monitor competition-related issues regarding standard essential patents with a substantial impact in the EU market"

The European Union has closed its preliminary investigation into the Alliance for Open Media licensing of its software with no further action to be taken.

The EU was investigating alleged anti-competitive behaviour related to the license terms of AV1 by AOM and its members in Europe.

The investigation centred on a clause in the AOM patent license that states licensees would immediately lose their right to use the technology if they launched patent lawsuits asserting that implementation infringes their claims.

In an email sent to Reuters, the EU said: “The Commission decided to close the investigation for priority reasons. The closure is not a finding of compliance or non-compliance of the conduct in question with EU competition rules.

“The Commission will continue to monitor competition-related issues regarding standard essential patents with a substantial impact in the EU market.”

In a statement, the Alliance for Open Media said it welcomed the EU’s decision to close the investigation.

“AOMedia and its members are fully committed to maintaining a thriving, competitive and open internet, which enables innovation and the launch of new products and services and continues to reduce prices for consumers,” added the organisation.

“Royalty-free licensing forms a foundational element for technological standards and the open internet, fostering innovation, choice and competition in the interests of businesses and consumers in the European Union and worldwide.”

The AOM released AV1, its next-gen royalty free codec in 2018, and it has already been adopted by Netflix and YouTube.