The Talk reviewed the recent history of codec innovation and detailed how the patent system and patent pools help fund these efforts. Presented as a series of interviews from various stakeholders, it described how pools are formed, the due diligence required to be aligned and in full compliance with all the applicable rules and regulations, such as the competition law regulations, the lifecycle of the pool from the start of licensing to potential enforcement actions. It presented a balanced view of how patent pools foster innovation and create a level playing field for both licensors and licensees in the video-codec industry.

In addition to representatives from Sisvel, who recently launched AV1 and VP9 pools, other distinguished speakers included Leonardo Chiariglione, Co-founder of MPEG, Carter Eltzroth, Managing Director at Helikon.net and a consultant with various European and US standardization bodies, Marco Grangetto, Full Professor at Department of Computer Science, University of Torino, Bowman Heiden, Visiting Scholar at The Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and Co-Director at Center for Intellectual Property, Sir Robin Jacob, Hugh Laddie Chair of Intellectual Property Law, University College London, Patrick Patnode, President at GE Licensing, and Sebastiano Toffaletti, Secretary-General of the European Digital SME Alliance.