GMC1500
AC has been in business since 1937, so 74 years total time. AC has been privatized since 1988, total time 23 years.
I don't like this way of doing business either, but it seems common practice to start a lawsuit to gain a competitive edge, until the lawsuit is settled.
It is also common in other industries, ie: pharmaceuticals. There they will claim a patent infringement, locking out their competitor from selling a specific drug competing with theirs, thereby reducing the competition for a time until the lawsuit is settled.
In my opinion, this is more of an American model, that has migrated up here with the influx of American CEOs and executives.