looks like cannondales hatchetdrive... nonsense if you ask me... overcomplicating what should be a simple design (single pivot)

it's no more complicated than your bottlerocket: the short straight link is the equivalent of the seatstay and the other link performs in the same way as the equivalent link on your bike

Only with three pivot points (2 with relatively small bearings). My question is, who came first, commencal, cannondale or diamondback? Or does one company own them all and that is why they are not suing each other?

Are you talking about the entire system or just the link driving the shock? There are four pivots in the entire system: 1)main pivot (out of shot, swingarm and frame), 2)the pivot between the swingarm and the short straight link (hidden by the swingarm), 3)the pivot between the short straight link and the triangular link, 4)the pivot between the frame and the triangular pivot. It's a linkage actuated single pivot design (also known as 'faux-bar'), just like the other companies' designs (as well as Transition's Syren). It's a very old design, I doubt anyone could be succesfully sued over it.

lol?