Happy to be corrected on my I assessment, please I am begging someone to shoot point 3 down
You may want to reconsider point 2. This report states SMM can also apply for the license so long as it divests itself of an existing tenement...
Sumitomo was not available for comment but is expected to continue its fight for access to the deposit...Sumitomo may also apply for licences at the disputed site, but would have to relinquish licences for other prospects to meet the strict three-licence limit.
Whether or not this will wash with the landowners is debatable, though one can never say never with this case.