It is a bit confusing.
Particularly if you look at PVI's site (they seem to ... overstate things a bit).
Here's the nutshell version. E-Ink, inc. (obviously) invented e-ink the product. They licensed manufacturing of it to both Phillips and PVI. My understanding is that Phillips has exclusive licensing for Europe, PVI may have (and probably does have) exclusive manufacturing rights but they'd have to be for 'not' Europe -- though I've never seen anything as to where their license does or doesn't cover, but PVI and Phillips are the only companies currently making the stuff, so I'd suspect that its exactly that: not-Europe.
To add to the confusion, there are other companies making similar displays that use somewhat different mechanisms, but they are usually careful to call their products "e-paper" rather than e-ink.
Hope that helps sort it out a bit.
