I think, personal opinion, unsubstantiated, the stock price couldn't go any lower ever. How it got to be so low I can only think of one reason. Management's decision to reorganize while not selling product. The market has been growing by leaps and bounds and they are on the sidelines. Their only public face is the required stock filings. Anybody know the name of the guy who invented the car engine? Not Ford, the guy who held the patent! The guy Ford fought in court for years. The guy won. He made a modest fortune. Draw your own parallels.
Anyway, back to product. I am not aware of SFIO product. Let me be clear on this, I only see their stock up and down, their press releases and their promises. I am not aware of any product they have.
As for Smoke51 and others being sued. Their distribution network, mall kiosks, chain stores etc. These imply a large network. In fact, the models they sell are over a year old and considered 1st generation. Customer satisfaction is low. Profit margins are insanely high. That model is only good for people who smoke 5-10 cigarettes or so a day. The sales force they use is "independent contractors".
The Riva or Ego is perfect for the pack a day smoker. High satisfaction, reasonably priced, made in China. They have not been sued yet. Easily available in the US from distributors.
The mods in my picture are small production. They are more techy but can satisfy a three pack a day, 30 year habit, no problem. Probably too hard to go after in court. If Hon Lik wants $10 license fee from a $100 mod for his idea, speaking for myself, I would pay. These are, relatively speaking, mom and pop shops.
I thought Ruyan only changed the company name to Dragonite (a pokemon character!). The patent is owned by the company. Hon Lik is paid a $1m salary (?) and owns a part of the company.
I thought that when the patent was awarded they would go to press. I thought that when the lawsuit was filed they would publicize. I thought that the media was so biased against e-cigs because of pressure from big Tobacco and Pharma. I was wrong. Dragonite itself is too quiet. In this media age, you have to try hard to be this quiet with this big news. Maybe the stock market distrusted this level of quiet.
