>>>Craig;
>>>
>>>As I recall the IEEE (I was a member) suggested creating standards for dBase, and was sued by – you guessed it – Ashton-Tate. The xBase usage came into use but Ashton-Tate sued those parties using that term also.
>>
>>Yep..AT said they owned the language. That's when xBase came into usage, primarily due to the standards committee wanting something that wasn't a product name.
>>
>>>
>>>Enter Borland – they purchase Ashton-Tate, and interest in dBase standards diminishes, along with all Ashton-Tate lawsuits being dropped (a blessing to the industry). Who needs dBase when you have “The Fox”? :)
>>
>>The government required the suit be dropped as part of their ok to the sale.
>
>Was the government actually involved in that sale?... If so, do you know why?
>

The government has an oversight role in all sales and mergers of a certain size, in accordance with U.S. antitrust acts. This role has largely consisted of a wink and a nod in recent years. Not surprisingly, most American industries have undergone tremendous consolidation.