I'm working on a startup with a friend and past colleague and the domain we want is (not surprisingly) already registered. It is not a parked domain, but it is

I'm working on a startup with a friend and past colleague and the domain we want is (not surprisingly) already registered. It is not a parked domain, but it is simply a graphic for some technology group with an "All rights reserved" from 2000 and a mailto link. We emailed the owner of the domain and asked if the person would entertain offers to buy the domain and received the simple response: "The domain is not for sale" I'm curious, has anyone ever encountered a stonewall on a domain like this and was anyone successful prying it away from the squatters with a generous offer? If you are squatting on a domain for over 10 years without putting it to use, isn't there always some amount of money you would sell it for?