Star Control Litigation Discussion

The "Stardock Response to Paul and Fred" thread has gotten a bit long-in-the-tooth, and the moderator suggested that it might be a good idea to split discussion that isn't actually Stardock responding to P&F over to a new thread. 

So, I've set up this thread to discuss the litigation more generally.  Since people understandably have strong feelings on this topic, I'd like to suggest a few guidelines:

• Be respectful.  People can have legitimate differences of opinions on this case.  Discussing those differences is fine; attacking the people who have them is not.
• Be reasonable.  Let's avoid rants about how <negative adjective> you think one side or the other is.  Instead, explain what you disagree with, and why.
• There is a confidentiality order on the settlement talks.  The parties can't discuss them; don't ask them to.
• References/citations aren't required, but they make for a stronger argument when you can supply them.