Maybe you will not "speculate" on DM's 50 newly hired IP attorneys but I will take a shot.

I am leaning towards agreeing with Minister not LL in this regard.

First it is just way too much of a coincedence that DM is doing all this hiring "in this particular field" at the same time they have taken on EDig, on contingency.

Does a company hire the way DM has been hiring because they want to pay a high priced, talented (and all the hirees seem to be at the top of their profession) attorney's to sit around with no business to offer them. And would a top man change companies, one of which he was a "top dog" to come to another company, (DM) without some assurance of, not only jumping into extablished busines, but of making "big bucks". My speculation is "NO".

In other words does a company that has 5 salesmen in their employ selling "widgets", not doing very well hire more salesmen??? A resounding NO. But on the other hand if those 5 salesmen were haggard, no sleep, getting a divorce because they were never at home, threatening to quit unless they got some help because they just couldn't keep up the "widget" demand and were working 7/24, what should/would managements response be??? Hire more widget salesmen of course.

Are DM's "widget" salemen not doing too well and can handle much more business? If so why is DM hiring many more "widget" salesmen???

It seems to me that DM is gearing up, OR ALREADY HAS, a hellofalot of "widget" sales they are assured of.

I am not an attorney, nor am I as qualified as LL to speak to these matters but I do know a teeny tiny bit about business and I do know hiring that we see from DM is not done with a hope and prayer but done because there is something very solid to make these high priced, high valued, highly talented IN THEIR FIELD attorney's to have DM in their empoyers box.

Another aspect of this is just how many IP attorney's does it take to work a big case??? I don't know... Vivitar is on tap with 6 other "biggies" already filed against. How many attorney's will each of these cases take????

I think Vivitar was a precursor towards those that will follow. I think Vivitar was the "low handing fruit" filed against because their case would be the easiest to show Vivitar infringed on EDig's patents. I think this is borne out by the way and timing of the filings. Vivitar, a pause of a few months, then the 6. By the time the Markmans hearing is done against Vivitar, which I firmly believe we will win, will just be the time the action will be starting against the others. I do believe that will have a devistating effect on their cases.

But the main reason I am "speculating" on why all the new hires at DM is because we were told at the onset there were 174 identified companies that were infringing on EDig patents. Then we were told that list had expanded. (no details given) If that be the case and DM is as assured it will prevail on most if not all these cases, and they have proved that thought by one word "contingency" then I expect new filings, many, many more new filings. Name your own figure but mine is at least 100. MY FRIENDS THAT TAKES A BUNCH OF ATTORNEYS......which