Exactly. If you can't beat them, just BUY them.
There should be laws against that sort of thing. If you buy it, you have to continue it. If you just shut it down or stop all development, someone goes to jail. Fines simply won't cut it. Companies continue dumping toxic waste all day long because it's cheaper to pay the fine than dispose of it properly. Why it's legal in a Capitalist society to simply buy-out the competition in order to put them out of business is beyond me. People are worried about socialism? WTF do you call this sort of thing? Oh yeah. Business as usual.