100th Company Licenses Wi-LAN's Pioneering V-chip Technology
02 October 2008 - 11:01PM
Marketwired Canada
Wi-LAN Inc. ("Wi-LAN" or the "Company") (TSX:WIN), a leading technology
innovation and licensing company, today announced the signing of license
agreements for V-chip-related patents with PDI Communication Systems and Anyu
Digital and Technology Co. Ltd., bringing the number of companies licensed to
Wi-LAN's pioneering V-chip technology to 100.
Wi-LAN's V-chip technology, invented by Professor Tim Collings in 1991, provides
television viewers with the ability to block content that they consider
inappropriate. V-chip technology was legislated by former U.S. President Bill
Clinton in 1996 and has been available in the U.S. and Canada since 1999. At
present, millions of V-chip-enabled TVs and DTV receivers sold each year are
licensed to Wi-LAN's V-chip technology.
DTV sales will remain robust according to market research firm DisplaySearch.
Their September 2008 DTV Forecast Report commented: "The US DTV transition is
nearing completion and many consumers are being prompted to either purchase a
new TV or visit retailers to learn their options. US TV households have on
average 2.5 to 3 TV's each, leaving a large number of sets to upgrade and
allowing long term growth potential. Our overall forecast for North America has
been adjusted up 2-3% to account for lower LCD prices driving faster adoption
among non-penetrated flat panel households and better 2nd set purchasing."
"Reaching the milestone of 100 licensed companies is a very rewarding
achievement for our team and the financial outlook for our licensing program has
never been better," said Najmul Siddiqui, President, Wi-LAN V-chip Corp. "Each
additional licensee further reinforces the value of our patents as we move
closer to our goal of licensing all DTV receiver manufacturers."
About Wi-LAN
Wi-LAN, founded in 1992, is a leading technology innovation and licensing
company. Our portfolio of patented inventions applies to a wide range of
consumer electronics and communications products. Some of the fundamental
technologies covered by Wi-LAN's patents include: CDMA, DOCSIS, DSL, GSM/EDGE,
V-chip, Wi-Fi and WiMAX. Wi-LAN has a large and growing portfolio of more than
300 issued or pending patents. Wi-LAN has licensed its intellectual property to
over 140 companies. For more information: www.wi-lan.com.
Forward-looking Information
Certain statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact,
may include forward-looking information that involves various risks and
uncertainties that face the Company; such statements may contain such words as
"may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe",
"estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, and may be based on management's
current assumptions and expectations related to all aspects of the wireless and
wireline telecommunications industries and the global economy. Risks and
uncertainties that may face the Company include, but are not restricted to:
licensing of the Company's patents can take an extremely long time and may be
subject to variable cycles; the Company is currently reliant on licensees paying
royalties under existing licensing agreements and additional licensing of its
patent portfolio to generate future revenues and increased cash flows; the
Company may be required to establish the enforceability of its patents in court
in order to obtain material licensing revenues; changes in patent laws or in the
interpretation or application of patent laws could materially adversely affect
the Company; a court may determine that certain of the Company's patents are not
infringed by certain standards or products or may disagree with management with
respect to whether one or more of the Company's patents apply to certain
standards or products, which could adversely affect the Company; the Company
will need to acquire or develop new patents to continue and grow its business;
the Company has made and may make acquisitions of technologies or businesses
which could materially adversely affect the Company; the Company may require
investment to translate its intellectual property position into sustainable
profit in the market; the generation of future V-chip revenues and the
likelihood of the Company signing additional V-chip licenses could be negatively
impacted by changes in government regulation; the Company is dependent on its
key officers and employees; and the price of the Company's common shares is
volatile and subject to market fluctuation. These risks and uncertainties may
cause actual results to differ from information contained in this release, when
estimates and assumptions have been used to measure and report results. There
can be no assurance that any statements of forward-looking information contained
in this release will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events
could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all
subsequent written and oral statements containing forward-looking information
are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made
and expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by
applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any statements of forward
looking information that speak only as of the date of this release. Additional
information identifying risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's
business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in Wi-LAN's current
Annual Information Form and its other filings with the various Canadian
securities regulators which are available online at www.sedar.com.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an
offer to buy any securities in the United States.
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respective owners.