fastspinecho

Commune as in "hang out with", not as in "reporting to".

You hang out with folks you know even without telling them anything new.

Most cases settle because most plaintiffs like money. And it's quite possible that the plaintiffs in this case liked the settlement payout more than getting back the IP rights. That counts as a win for the plaintiffs.

A corporation is always a group of people. Since people have rights, it would be awkward if all those rights disappeared when they formed a group.

A family is another group of people. It would be awkward if every belonging had to be assigned to an individual (eg the refrigerator belongs to Mom, the stove belongs to Dad).

So instead, we just say that the refrigerator and stove belong to the family. But that necessarily implies that a "family" can own things. Corporations just extend that principle to a larger "family".

Not that weird. Often, pollution is not a crime. You too can legally poison the air, soil, and water by driving certain vehicles or flushing certain chemicals down your toilet.

If someone commits a crime, then they go to jail regardless of whether they belong to a corporation or a family. For instance, if a UPS worker kills someone, then they will be charged with murder. You don't jail their whole family.

Crimes are generally defined in terms of the actions of individuals. It's hard to prove that a corporation committed a crime for the same reason that it's hard to prove that a corporation kissed someone.