Despite the initial acrimony, the former colleagues negotiate a solution where both parties benefit. Dr. Brockner maintains possession of the bulk of the data while Dr. Capeless is able to pursue investigation of his redefined research focus

These are some possible outcomes:

Both investigators are satisfied with the outcome, and indeed collaborate on numerous submissions.

Dr. Capeless has second thoughts about the data portion he was given access to and requests a more desirable data set.

After the initial successful submission and publication, Dr. Capeless feels he will need access to additional data in order to submit more articles.