It means they will lawyer up until the government accepts a monetary settlement and all the executives get away unharmed. Or maybe with a bonus for "navigating dire straights" or some such nonsense.

Stand your ground was not used as a defense in this case so no relation at all.

Perpetual surveillance is an outgrowth of perpetual "war".

Two things happened. 1. The patent trolls are no longer in just the tech industry. Major retailers etc. that can make a lot of noise are now under attack. These are companies that themselves hold no/few patents and thus have no interest in holding the status quo the way major tech companies do. 2. The situation has gotten so wildly out of control at this point that even mega corps are no longer benefiting from it.

THIS. It is total bullshit that if your computer fucks up massively you get a rollback. Keep your winnings if you win, get your money back if you lose. What a deal for the big firms.