Tri-Vision International has announced that it has signed a non-exclusive license for its Canadian v-chip Patent No. 2,179,474 with Apex Digital.

The agreement covers all television sets sold across Canada by Apex. This agreement is valid through the expiration of the patent in 2016 and requires that both parties keep the terms of the settlement confidential.

An official release informs that many consumer electronics manufacturers have recognised the substantial value of the Collings' Patents and the technology described in them. As a result, Sony, Hitachi, Sanyo, Pioneer, Sharp, LG Electronics, Funai, Samsung and many others have entered into license agreements. Tri-Vision also expects to conclude license agreements with additional television manufacturers in the near future.

The US television marketplace is changing rapidly with more channel capacity, added value entertainment and interactive services that utilise the digital spectrum. In addition, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reports that through June 2003, year-to-date factory-to-dealer sales of digital televisions have approached 1.5 million units. This demonstrates the dramatic, accelerating growth rate of the digital TV marketplace.