They could do the Big Tech way: make it all 'free' for a good while, estinguish/calm down any serious competition, then make them not 'free' anymore.
In the end, you cannot trust them.
VP9 isn't H.265 level. That is the marketing spin of AOM. And even AOM members admit VVC is better than AV1.
Liking one codec or whether it is royalty free is one thing, whether it is performing better is another thing.