Wi-LAN Inc. has signed up Hong Kong's Coby Manufacturing Co. for the U.S. patents of its V-chip parental control technology, while two existing licensees have agreed to pay additional royalties.

The Ottawa-based company said Coby, which makes and distributes home theatre DVD players, LCD televisions and portable TVs that are sold through more than 1,400 retailers worldwide, had signed a licence agreement providing for the payment of running royalties for the life of the U.S. V-chip patent.

As well, Canadian V-chip licensee Apex Digital Inc. has also signed up for a U.S. licence, while Ultima Electronics Corp, which is already licensed for Wi-LAN's U.S. patents, has signed a licence agreement for the Canadian version of the patent.

The company noted that more than 80 electronics manufacturers have licensed its Canadian and/or U.S. V-chip patents to date, including 16 manufacturers specifically for the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) digital television converter box program. The program in February began distributing as many as 33 million US$40 coupons in the United States to help households pay for converter boxes which will allow television owners to continue using their analog TV sets once analog broadcast signals are discontinued in February 2009.