First Mover Advantage (FMA)Sextant, Great post.
You said "It's their choice to wait for the European patent" in your last post.
You are absolutely right. They are completly marketable in the U.S., fully protected by U.S. patents
The U.S. market is a go. Zero downside from this point. But I hope to expand on why your statement in particular is important in the big picture.
You and I both know people on the board are going to $hit thier pants when they see that and say "Well why dont we have a f$^&^g deal then"
First mover advantage is not necessarily who signs the first deal wins, there are many layers to it as a marketing theory or application. First mover advantage applies to both the technology provider and the adopter.
Qnc having a potiential disruptor technology can't afford to sign with the first suiter,
The benefits of having FMA diminish over time due to new entrants. QNC will need to dial in strategic partnerships with any entity that would limit any future competitors to the market.
Ex. Sell 150k units @ $10 to Bob's Bitcoin wallets or
Sell 15k Units @ 7 to a multinational mobile phone, Credit Card, Semiconductor manufacturer.
When a person looks at the above example, you can see an immediate benefit selling 100k to the bitcoin people, but the not so immediate is the smaller sales number with the larger entity and broader reach.
My point is if they wait for the EPO patent, nail down the Multinational they will have a hell of a better chance maintaining FMA.
Completly agree there is a partner in the wings and I would Imagine they too want FMA.
Management has very tactical plan to gain FMA.
If they dont get the Euro patent,
U.S. market is plan B, and a helluva good one!
Hope this makes sense. TLDR version: Smaller deal with larger player = better results