Worth noting the real-world lag: patents may expire, but licensing bodies and codec vendors typically wait for the formal portfolio closure announcement before shipping free implementations. Companies that already signed MPEG-LA licenses also have existing contracts they'll honor until renewal. So the practical 'free to use' date for Brazil trails the legal expiry by months — keep an eye on Via LA's public portfolio status page.
Worth noting the real-world lag: patents may expire, but licensing bodies and codec vendors typically wait for the formal portfolio closure announcement before shipping free implementations. Companies that already signed MPEG-LA licenses also have existing contracts they'll honor until renewal. So the practical 'free to use' date for Brazil trails the legal expiry by months — keep an eye on Via LA's public portfolio status page.