For a software company, distributing an HEVC decoder could require paying up to (depending on the pool). For hardware encoders used in broadcast, annual caps existed, but enforcement was aggressive. Several drone and action-cam makers received cease-and-desist letters over HEVC use.
The market’s response to HEVC’s patent chaos was swift. Google pushed (royalty-free, backed by Netflix, Amazon, and Alliance for Open Media). Apple and the MPEG group later countered with VVC (H.266) and AVC , but the damage was done: AV1 became the codec of choice for YouTube, Netflix, and most new web video. alarum hevc
Security cameras, Blu-ray (UHDBD), and broadcast encoders use HEVC because AV1’s hardware decode is still rare in those sectors. The alarum here is for integrators: using an off-the-shelf NVR that records in HEVC may expose you to patent liability if you’re a business selling the system. For a software company, distributing an HEVC decoder
