Wi-LAN president and CEO Jim Skippen. (Darren Brown, OBJ)

Ottawa's Wi-LAN Inc. – currently in the midst of litigation against industry giants Research In Motion and Motorola – announced Thursday the signing of seven new licensing agreements.

Four of those signings concern the companies' celebrated V-chip technology, bringing the number of companies under license to 90. Companies signed to Wi-LAN's technology Changzhou Xingqiu Electronic Co. Ltd., Shanzhen Jiuzhou Electric Group Co. Ltd., CAST Information Oc. Ltd. and Skardin Industrial Corp.

"These new V-chip licensees give our licensing program additional momentum and move us closer to our goal of licensing all digital television receivers sold in the United States," said Najmul Siddiqui, president of Wi-LAN's V-chip business, in a statement. "With the NTIA Digital Converter Box Program sales nearing 500,000 per week, we're confident this segment will generate positive results for Wi-LAN."

Along with its V-chip licences the company also signed six-year running royalty wireless licences with 3JTECH Co. Ltd. and a company whose name wasn't disclosed. That brings Wi-LAN's wireless licensees to 27, 17 of whom were signed this fiscal year.

Wi-LAN also announced a six-year running royalty licence related to its DSL patents with another company whose name could not be revealed.

The company, founded in 1992, has signed 44 licensees in the first eight months of its fiscal year 2008.