Agree in part with your post. That award wasn`t THAT big considering the players and the amount sought. But there is one huge (IMO) difference: these were both American companies dueling it out. Remember, we`re talking about jurors in Texas, and I suspect that there is credence to the thought that Texas jurors would ``go easier`` on an American company than they would a foreign-based company. While they were pursuing Justice, they had no interest in crippling an American firm (and how many jurors, living out in the Pecos, are DirectTV users?). I suspect foreign entities would be shown little such mercy, especially with a name like Nippon Electronics Corporation (with one of the plaintiffs being named ``Patriot Scientific``). This, IMO, is the ``other big benefit`` to litigating in Texas; not only do we get the ``rocket docket``, but also jurors that are most likely inherently biased in their view of the world (in great contrast to if litigation were being conducted in San Francisco, where several jurors could be of Asian decent). I`m not suggesting that any of this is right or wrong, only that it is a significant benefit in our favor likely enabling a much larger award on a percentage basis.

But I KNOW nuttin`!

SGE