If BP were *smart* they could simply hedge against

If BP were *smart* they could simply hedge against our success by buying a small stake without attempting to buy the whole company nor drive down the share price. I'm not sure if there are conflict of interest rules preventing this but use occam's razor. It's a simpler conspiracy to buy hedge in open market, or even bribe FDA to delay us a few more months, than use complex shorting schemes to hold down our share price if they're not already experts in market making.