"the company" was private; All of this occurred within the last 7 years. As previously mentioned, they received "a contract for ongoing R&D, for field support, and technical advice." In addition they of course received a VAST multi million dollar buyout, as well as a PERCENTAGE of the profits PER UNIT as a result of their "mousetrap." Of course they profited and yes, it likely WAS the right course of action for them, and they CONTINUALLY profit. Could they/would they have profited even MORE by keeping the "mousetrap" for themselves? Perhaps, but who knows? The profits/benefits that the "big dog" received were multi faceted and while easy to understand, is really not important here. I saw ALL of this happen "from the inside" NOT as an outsider, so understand that I can't speak much more about it.
