[IshKebab]

I think they're saying Atari didn't threaten them but they both understood that they could have. Honestly it sounds like Atari were trying to be nice. Like "you technically aren't allowed to do that, and we could just set our lawyers on you, but we'd like to not do that while also making money on our re-release".

This seems like a perfectly reasonable compromise to me.

[singpolyma3]

How is "I haven't talked to my lawyer yet but you know I could" not a threat/pressure?

[IshKebab]

In the same way that "you kids aren't allowed to skate here, but maybe if you do it over there I could just turn around and not notice you" isn't a threat.

[singpolyma3]

"you kids can't skate here" is the threat part.

[IshKebab]

That's just stretching the definition of "threat" beyond its normal meaning.

If I tell my kids "it's bedtime" is that a threat?

[singpolyma3]

If they say "no" are you gonna let them stay up?

If not then it may not be a literal threat but it contains the implied threat

[NietTim]

There is no reason to assume they said that and all the reason to assume they didn't say that.