You're not alone in your thinking Koo, as evidenced by the post I wrote before this one....

Why go to the trouble of engaging a company like Rothschild and Co to advise on a US listing if the intention is to simply sell out to BP?  

I suppose one could argue that this is simply a strategy to ensure max value for an eventual buyout. But what would the liscensing rights just in the USA be worth?  And do the Li's have access to the kind of capital that might be needed to match an offer?  

Fun times at any rate, looking forward to Monday for a change :-)