Clearwire shares a lot with classic McCaw deals: same management group, same crazy structure of deals, loans and vendor agreements.

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Essentially, through these types of affiliation agreements, a vendor can be considered to have established an in-state sales force.

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But be sure to read the fine print, since there may be strange restrictions and adjustments in the boilerplate of agreements reached with any vendor, agent, or publisher.

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Typical agreements only apply for three years, at which point the vendor is free to make hay with your idea, if you haven't managed to secure a patent by then.

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To conceal its relationship with Transworld--and avoid running afoul of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act--Lockheed, according to Semtek's allegations, created a series of phony contracts and other business agreements with Millman's company to make it appear as if Transworld was nothing more than a vendor to Lockheed.

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