The MPEG LA has been merged with Dolby subsidiary Via. The new division, still a subsidiary, is called Via LA, and the deal has been ostensibly done to unite the AAC audio codecs with the MPEG LA’s video codecs, in a manner that avoids a lot of legal paperwork. However, nothing is ever so surface-level, and Faultline suspects shenanigans are afoot. It feels immensely uncomfortable that one of the most important patent pools for our industry is now under the remit of Dolby, no matter how independent the two claim they are from each other. But worse; Dolby has been a part of the rival Access Advance HEVC pool from the off. Conflicts of interest appear to abound, which is…