Well I let three years pass. I figured after the takeover, the company would have much bigger fish to fry. But now it's time to resume the mission. Brian Cooke is no longer Chairman/CEO of Direct Focus. Direct Focus is now Nautilus, Inc. and Greggory C. Hammann is the President and CEO.

The version of the RackIt™ I took to StairMaster in 1992 and again in 1998, is now a part of the machine, despite being told by the company, "...does not feel your product is a strategic fit for our organization."

That's 13 years of corporate stonewalling. That's what corporations do. They stonewall you and try to wear you down. They drag you out and expect you to give up. They reap your harvest while you drown in dispair.

Will the new regime be any different than the old? Will they look objectively at the documentation? Will they do the right thing and settle this matter once and for all? Will their Code of Business Conducts and Ethics guide them? "Number 8" is all I expected and wanted right from the beginning, "Fair Dealing."

8. Fair Dealing

The Company is committed to promoting the values of honesty, integrity and fairness in the conduct of its business and sustaining a work environment that fosters mutual respect, openness and individual integrity. Employees, officers and directors are expected to deal honestly and fairly with each other and with the Company's customers, suppliers, competitors and other third parties. To this end, employees, officers and directors shall not:

a. make false or misleading statements to customers, suppliers or other third parties;

b. make false or misleading statements about competitors;

c. solicit or accept from any person that does business with the Company, or offer or extend to any such person,

i. cash of any amount; or

ii. gifts, gratuities, meals or entertainment that could influence
or reasonably give the appearance of influencing
the Company's businessrelationship with that person
or go beyond common courtesies usually
associated with accepted business practice;

d. solicit or accept any fee, commission or other compensation for referring customers to third-party vendors; or

e. otherwise take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information or any other unfair-dealing practice.

That pretty much sums it up. I'm a third party. I invented a useful product. I have a patent. I expected a company like StairMaster to deal with me through honesty, integrity and fairness. Yet they have taken unfair advantage through manipulation, concealment, and abuse of privileged information and alliances.

However, I'm still at the table, the cards have been reshuffled and I'm ready to deal Mr. Hammann in on a new game. Stay tuned.