Six months after unveiling its new-look multi-codec licensing venture, codec patent pool proprietor Access Advance has revealed the first 30 names in the hat for its Video Distribution Patent (VDP) pool venture. The guinea pigs include some of the usual big hitters, patent nomads, and educational institutes, alongside a couple of unexpected entrees. Among the headline licensees/licensors for Access Advance’s VDP—which covers patents essential for streaming HEVC, VVC, AV1, and VP9—are ByteDance, Tencent, and Kuaishou. The inclusion of major Chinese video platforms with growing patent portfolios is significant for the VDP initiative, as it is rare to see such companies as licensors in international codec pools. With Access Advance illuminating these names in the announcement, it points to the rise…