It's not illegal for AusCann to announce any of the things they...

It's not illegal for AusCann to announce any of the things they did. They can say that they have been working in their labs. They did trials in their labs (not on real people or animals). They filed a patent but it has not been verified by experts. I had a look at the patent process before. You can file any patent you like and get it granted even if it does not work. You just have to pay money to maintain that patent within certain jurisdictions. You can pay for it to be vetted by experts at universities to enhance its appeal. The idea is that if someone who reads your patent document and gathers all the details and then makes something that works, then you can claim credit and royalty.