"While it is possible that they are waiting, it would be a very unusual action for a company to wait so long and given the public statements they have made, it would be likely that a court would rule against them now whereas it would have been much more likely to rule for them at the start. You see, if there is evidence that you have 'agreed' to something [not a legal contract - that's only one way to agree - to have knowledge of something and to not take action but to actually continue to deal with the person and make public statements that indicate you are on friendly terms may well be viewed by a judge to be implisite acceptance even though there is no explisite staement]" Not in copyright and patent law. "Yes, and how far did that get him? As for the IC engine, I was meaning used in a viable car - the engine was not his idea and his cars were not the first vehicles that they were used in so technically you're right, but the vehicles that used an IC engine before him were not reall cars as such - at least they were clearly different from what he made" Quite far, actually, He managed to shut down 32 companies entirely, recieved royalty paymetns for years from most ot eh others. And the IC engine was used in a viable car before him. Decades before. Ford, in fact, was a late entry in the car making business. Nor did his vehicles appeal to the folks who had been buying them already. They were sorta common, simple things -- not high end at all. (not gonna get there ;))

thou and I, my friend, can, in the most flunkey world, make, each of us, one non-flunkey, one hero, if we like: that will be two heroes to begin with. (Carlyle)