The encyclopedia · Software & IT · Technical decision · 2018–2020
AVIF beat JPEG's patent tax with a codec nobody owns
Netflix and rivals pooled AV1 patents royalty-free, then wrapped it in HEIF so images finally escaped JPEG's license fees
Netflix · Google · Amazon · Microsoft · Alliance for Open Media
the move
For two decades JPEG dominated photos, but its patent portfolio made every next step awkward, and HEVC's high royalty demands pushed the web toward open alternatives. In 2018 the Alliance for Open Media — Netflix, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Mozilla, Cisco, Intel — published AV1, a video codec whose member patents are licensed royalty-free.
AVIF is the still-image application of that codec: the format stores AV1-coded images in the ISO base media file format (HEIF), inheriting keyframe compression, HDR and wide color gamut, monochrome, transparency, and multi-layer progressive decoding.
Because AV1 also covers video, Netflix, YouTube, and browser vendors already needed AV1 decoders for streaming; image decoding came along in the same silicon. AVIF rode that existing infrastructure into browsers and devices without asking anyone to pay a royalty.
why it works
- The royalty-free AV1 license removed the patent tax that made HEVC unsuitable for the open web
- Reusing the video codec meant hardware and software decoders already existed when AVIF arrived
- HEIF containers are ISO-standard, easing integration with cameras and phone OSes
- Backing from streaming giants gave AVIF a real deployment engine, not just a spec
what transfers
A better technology blocked by ownership can be freed by a coalition pooling patents under a no-royalty license. Removing the licensing tax often beats slightly better efficiency.
what came after
AVIF support landed in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, and platforms from Netflix to Android and Meta began serving it; camera and phone manufacturers adopted HEIF/AVIF for photos. It became the main challenger to WebP and the first modern image format with an open, pooled patent base.
references
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