| It's not a clear cut situation. WGP was threatening a lawsuit for trade dress violation, not patent violation. Although it's not spelled out well in their letter, WGP was alleging the Illusion looked too much like a Sniper and was therefore infringing on the trade dress of the Sniper. AM didn't have the money to mount the fight, even if they were ultimately successful. Also, SP was throwing around their C&D letters regarding electros. AM was pushing their Diadem at the time, and SP would have eventually forced AM into a licensing agreement. Again, AM didn't have the money to fight SP on that issue. Add to those factors the reported intra-family problems at AM, and it was an easy decision to exit the paintball market totally.
I do take some issue with the comment the Illusion was just another Sniper. While they appear somewhat similar on the outside, the Illusion is superior IMHO where it matters; inside. Otherwise, AM markers were built to much higher quality standards than most of their competitors, and that meant the prices of the AM markers were higher than those of their competitors. AM was responsible for a lot of improvements in the "lower end" of the market (blade triggers stock on STBB's, stock delrin bolts, etc.), but ultimately those niceties cost them a cost-competitive edge.
custar |