It's fairly easy to get a patent, but they aren't worth much until you have successful enforcement.
I talked to a friend who works for an outfit here in San Diego that does a lot of applied research, and patents a fair amount of stuff. He says they budget $500,000 a year for patent defense, and consider that they not very aggressive.
Reading the text of the earliest patent, I found the arguments made "not compelling". I could not get all the figures to come up, and those that did were showing a Ruger M77. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
It would be interesting to get at least the details of the law suit. I expect that is public information, even if the settlement is sealed.
jim
