Morning Steve,
No, he did not buy the name or the rights. When you look at the chain of assignments it went from the original company that built the 41's and 47's(not the one that built the 28's and 36's, ie the one Thad bought) to the government to MM. Its pretty clear when you know where and how to look.
I know you just build em Steve

So I won't argue the point with you.
People need to remember that 2 different groups were involved. The company that Thad bought never built the 41's or the 47's. The Apache that actually built the 41'+ boats always controlled the name and trademark before the government took over and got the factory, inventory and trademark.
The facts are the facts. Anywhere you look up the Apache name or the Indian head logo Mark McManus Inc is listed as the owner.
People can file lawsuits for anything in this country. The actual merits of the case doesn't matter. For better or worse, its our system in this country. This upstart Apache is just trying to throw alot of money at the legal case in the hopes that the real Apache will fold. Its not going to happen.
Opinions in the public domain don't matter legally. Statements in magazines have no weight in court. Slick marketing campaigns can't change the basic principles and rules of trademark law. Federal Court trials are not like episodes of L.A. law. Federal Judges are professionals that know the law(very very well) and marketing and B.S. will not carry alot of weight with them.
Take Care
Carl