The idea that Anton knew about this strikes me as unbelievable shaky. First, it assumes DAZ had this planned a year in advance, which I sincerely doubt. I'd guess that the first inkling of this idea was at 6 months ago at most. Second, it assumes that DAZ would tell Anton that they intended to release M3 for free at the beginning of 2005. Why would they do that? Anton was unhappy, was moving into a competitive position with them, and was disputing the scope of his NDA. Why in the world would they tell him information that would destroy their M3 market if it leaked out early?

I'm all for a good conspiracy theory, but this one stretches my suspension of disbelief a little too thin.