Factory five still makes kits and good ones at that...so did the lawsuit really hurt anyone??? If anything the new kits are more shelby and worth money to build as they are closer too shelbys, IIRC shelby now owns or controls factory five to some extent.
Also think of it like this...HE did create the damn thing he should have every right to protect what he came up with. I think the fact he does work with other makers (factory five, unique, ford) is showing a great deal of friendship to people of the hobby. People for the most part cannot afford or afford to spend the kind of money for a orig. shelby...much less as a daily. Now we are bitching about the fact we do in fact have new models that even with just alittle more hp and susp. (just like the orig. gt350 for the most part) is at least more than a sticker package.
I would have a hard time having anything to do with any sort of "not a friend to the hobby" with the history that man has done in his lifetime...from the only private winner of the le-man with the daytona, to the 1,2,3 gt40 program, cobra, shelby2 thing, viper, Ford GT involvement, development of other ford prototypes, children foundations all from his passion for the automobile...passion.
In the end business is business dont think for one second someone will not kill anyone of us much less someone like shelby for gain. The companies are not 100% correct in coping a product that was under copywright/tradmark just because they were the little guy does not make it theft/honest because the big guy coverd his butt to protect his property.