Joel...

Wikipeia defines a "Settlement as follows"...

A settlement, as well as dealing with the dispute between the parties is a contract between those parties, and is one possible (and common) result when parties sue (or contemplate so doing) each other in civil proceedings. The plaintiff(s) and defendant(s) identified in the lawsuit can end the dispute between themselves without a trial[1]. Justice is not a central issue here, merely power: often one party has little option but to submit to the will of the other.[citation needed]

The contract is based upon the bargain that a party foregoes its ability to sue (if it has not sued already), or to continue with the claim (if the plaintiff has sued), in return for the certainty written into the settlement. The courts will enforce the settlement: if it is breached, the party in default could be sued for breach of that contract. In some jurisdictions, the party in default could also face the original action being restored.

The settlement of the lawsuit defines legal requirements of the parties, and is often put in force by an order of the court after a joint stipulation by the parties. In other situations (as where the claims have been satisfied by the payment of a certain sum of money) the plaintiff and defendant can simply file a notice that the case has been dismissed.

The majority of cases are decided by a settlement. Both sides (or the side with fewer monetary resources) often have a strong incentive to settle to avoid the costs (such as legal fees, finding expert witnesses, etc.), associated with a trial, particularly where a trial by jury is available. Generally, one side or the other will make a settlement offer early in litigation. The parties may hold (and indeed, the court may require) a settlement conference, at which they attempt to reach such a settlement.

In controversial cases, it may be written into a settlement that both sides keep its contents and all other information relevant to the case confidential.

It is clear to evryone here that it is non-sense to say that a "Settlement" in a law suit which forces defendants to comply with some terms dictated by the plaintiff "...is not a win?!?"...

It is also clear that you cannot change the mind of Mister Balonist through your pleas asking him to stop repeating his claim that the only WIN is a COURT DECISION or a USPTO opinion re affirmiring their Grant of PATENTS to EDIG?..

For the time being it seems everyone here has taken the high road by merely ignoing these often repeated claims of his, and that is the way to put these non-issue dicussions to rest...

Good Luck...

Gil...