Chapter 370 It’s miserable without a patent

The day after Wall Street reported that Apple was valued at US$200 billion, an executive director of Goldman Sachs Group suddenly called Li Zetian’s home.

Li Zetian answered the phone and started chatting with him.

"Mr. Li, how high is Apple's current valuation? Have you ever thought about listing Apple on Nasdaq?" the executive director asked tentatively.

Li Zetian laughed.

The other party called simply because they thought that if Apple went public, Goldman Sachs could be the lead underwriter.

However, Li Zetian did not want Apple to go public.

Why do most companies go public? Is it mainly to raise funds?

But, does Apple need it?

No need!

After Li Zetian re-entered Apple, he immediately reversed the profit and loss. He has been very profitable for many years and accumulated a lot of wealth.

In addition, given Apple's ability to make money, it would be better not to go public. Li Zetian can get huge dividends every year without having to give them to other shareholders.

"Sorry, Apple has no plans to go public for the time being!!" Li Zetian decisively refused.

The executive director of Goldman Sachs Group sighed slightly, as if he had already guessed that this would be the case, so he did not force it and ended the conversation with a few words.

In the next few days, people contacted Li Zetian one after another, still asking whether Apple would go public, but Li Zetian rejected them all.

Seeing Li Zetian's resolute attitude, Wall Street investors stopped persuading him.

…

On the afternoon of August 11, Seagate Technology CEO Alan Shugart suddenly called. Li Zetian was slightly surprised by the content on the phone.

"Mr. Li, there is a company in China that released the VCD one step ahead of us." Alan Shugart said with a wry smile. A small and insignificant company actually released the VCD in front of Seagate Technology. It was undoubtedly a blow to Seagate Technology. Face.

Li Zetian's heart moved and he asked: "What is the name of this company?"

"The name is Wanyan Company," Alan Shugart thought for a moment, then added, "The founder of the company is called Jiang Wanmeng!"

really! ! !

"Tell me briefly about the situation over there." Li Zetian said calmly.

"Okay, Mr. Li." Alan Shugart responded, and then briefly introduced Wanyan Company.

It turned out that Jiang Wanmeng had spotted the development potential of VCD as early as 1992, and then cooperated with c-cude company, asking them to design decoding chips, and the movement was purchased from Sony. As a result, Wanyan VCD soon became developed.

At the end, Alan Shugart couldn't help but admired: "Mr. Li, you are right! VCD may not be very popular in Europe and the United States, but it is really very popular in China!!! Wanyan Company's 1000 As soon as the model came on the market, it was sold out immediately!!!”

Alan Shugart was slightly excited. China has a population of over one billion. How big is the market?

When Li Zetian heard this, he couldn't help but have a sarcastic smile on his lips.

As soon as it was launched, it sold out immediately?

Humph, I'm afraid they were all bought and dismantled and copied! Frankly speaking, VCD players basically have no technical content. When it comes to technology, the main ones are decoding chips and movements. With these two, anyone can make a VCD. However, Wanyan Company has neither of these two companies.

It's so sad that the VCD that you worked so hard to develop ended up being a wedding dress for others.

In fact, Wanyan Company is not completely without opportunities. This opportunity is the patent for the whole machine, which is enough to curb the development of other competitors. Wanyan Company even has a certain chance of obtaining the patent for the decoding chip, because it was Wanyan Company that funded c-cude to develop the VCD decoding chip. If the major investor requests to share patents, c-cude may still agree. There are video recorders and DVDs in the European and American markets, but VCD has no room for development. c-cude doesn't pay that much attention to the patents of decoding chips.

After Li Zetian hung up the phone, he shook his head. Wanyan Company did not pay attention to patents, but in the end it was applied for by a foreign company, and then used it to ask for patent fees from Chinese VCD companies. This was extremely depressing!

…

China.

Wan Yan Company.

"Haha, I didn't expect our company's products to be so popular. They were sold out as soon as they were launched!" Jiang Wanmeng was very happy and said to his employees, "Let the factory step up production. In addition, I will treat you tonight to celebrate Wanmeng. Yan VCD is a big seller!!!"

"Yeah!! Let's have a big meal!!"

"Haha, Wanyan VCD is popular, we are going to be prosperous!"

"..."

Jiang Wanmeng said with a smile: "Haha, in order to develop and promote VCD, everyone has been working very hard recently. At the end of the year, I will give each of you a big red envelope!"

"Mr. Jiang, how much is the red envelope?!"

"Haha, our Mr. Jiang is very generous, and there will definitely be no shortage of it!"

Jiang Wanmeng said with a smile: "Haha, don't worry, as long as the company makes money, it will never lose to you!"

…

China, Sony Branch.

"Wanyan VCD is really good. It's so popular in China!" A short middle-aged man looked at the VCD in front of him and said in surprise.

"President, this VCD has no technical content at all, but it is very popular in China. We at Sony cannot let this market go!" suggested a 25-year-old man.

The short middle-aged man nodded after hearing this: "Well, what you said makes sense. VCD still has a huge market in China! Call the headquarters immediately to develop Sony VCD!"

"Hi!!!"

…

At this moment, the employees of Wanyan Company were still holding a celebration banquet, but they did not know that the crisis had arrived.

Powerful companies such as Sony and Philips are also preparing to enter this market.

Two days later, Sony got news from Wanyan Company that Wanyan Company had not applied for any patent! ! !

"Uh... Is Wanyan Company stupid? It didn't even apply for a patent??" The CEO of Sony China Branch looked shocked.

"President, this is absolutely true. The Chinese don't pay much attention to patents, so I sent someone to investigate, and it turned out to be just as I suspected."

"Haha, that's great, the Chinese are so stupid! Hurry! We've applied for a patent for the VCD machine right away!!"

"Um!"

…

Wan Yan Company.

"Mr. Jiang, it's not good. Most of the users who buy our VCDs are enterprises. They buy them back, disassemble them, and make imitations one after another. They also plan to launch VCDs. A friend of mine in the c-cude company sent news that at least some Thirty Chinese businessmen are ready to discuss cooperation with them. In addition, major international companies such as Sony and Philips also seem to be preparing to develop VCD!!" Vice President of Wanyan Company said anxiously.

Jiang Wanmeng was dumbfounded and broke into a cold sweat.

Oh my God, there are so many companies entering VCD, including Sony and Philips. What should Wanyan Company do?

"Mr. Jiang, many Sony employees laughed at us, saying that we didn't apply for a patent and were extremely stupid. As a result, anyone could get a piece of the pie." The vice president looked ugly and sighed.

Jiang Wanmeng was a little confused. He originally thought that in China, a country where piracy is rampant, patenting the entire machine is useless, and applying for a patent requires money. If you can save it, save it, but he did not expect that it would cause irreparable consequences. .

…

Seagate Technology, Inc., Office of the CEO.

"Mr. Li, should we release Seagate VCD immediately?" Alan Shugart asked. Seagate Technology is different from Wanyan Company in that it develops its decoding chips and movements independently and does not have to rely on c-cude and Sony.

"Let's make preparations first, but there is no need to release it immediately." Li Zetian raised the corner of his mouth, showing a strange smile, and said: "The current Chinese VCD market is full of demons. Companies such as Sony and Philips are a bit arrogant. Simply let them continue Be quiet, and then we will take action to severely attack their arrogance!!!"

"Haha, okay, Mr. Li!" Alan Shugart nodded and said with a knowing smile.

…

c-cude has a decoding chip, Sony has a core.

In just two weeks, several more brands of VCDs have appeared on the Chinese market.

Even Sony quickly launched "Sony VCD".

The president of Sony branch proudly told reporters at the VCD product launch conference: "The technology used by Sony VCD is more advanced than other VCDs, and it is currently the best VCD product. We at Sony are very confident that we can make Sony VCD the best product in China." The largest VCD brand!!!”

Li Zetian always pays attention to news about Sony. After seeing this Sony press conference, he curled his lips and immediately called Alan Shugart.

"Alan Shugart, launch the Seagate VCD immediately! At the same time, sue Sony for daring to illegally use Seagate's VCD patent, and prohibit Sony VCD from being sold worldwide!!!"

"Okay!" Alan Shugart responded with a smile. He knew that Li Zetian was waiting for Sony to launch VCD and then work on it.

Then an order was sent to Seagate's China branch.

That morning, Seagate China Branch held a product launch conference and released Seagate VCD products.

In addition, they solemnly announced at the press conference that they would sue Sony for patent infringement!

Sony is a large international company that attaches great importance to reputation.

As soon as the news came out, it immediately shocked China, and soon the news spread all over the world.

"The patent for the whole VCD machine actually belongs to Seagate Technology. That's awesome. Well done. I just can't stand the little RB Sony!"

"Well, what a fucking tragedy for Sony. They just released Sony VCD, and in the blink of an eye, they were sued!"

"Haha, what else did the president of Sony say? He is very confident that Sony VCD will become the largest VCD brand in China. Now, Seagate Technology has banned its sale in China. I am really happy!"

"Sony still wants to make money from Chinese people, no way! We all support Seagate. This company is owned by Chronos Li. Although he does not have Chinese nationality, he is Chinese. He invests in China, does charity, and helps China. Develop the economy! He invested in and built the Hope Primary School in my hometown!"

The Chinese are a bit hostile to RB, and they also hate RB Company.

Every penny RB makes in China may become a weapon to attack China.

During World War II, some large RB companies were basically related to the military.

Between Sony and Li Zetian, the Chinese people naturally choose to support Li Zetian.

As soon as the news came out that Seagate Technology was suing Sony, there was so much support that people almost set off firecrackers to celebrate.

At this moment, Sony's head is covered with a heavy haze.

The president of Sony China Branch angrily threw a document to the ground and cursed: "Although Wanyan Company was the first company to launch VCD, it seems that Seagate Technology has already been developing VCD. , and even applied for a patent. Seagate Technology didn’t announce it sooner or later, but when we released Sony VCD, they said that the patent for the whole VCD machine was theirs, and they clearly wanted to deal with us!!!”

"President, don't be angry! As you know, Chronos Li has always been at odds with Sony. It is reasonable to target us this time," the secretary said.

"I'm just so angry. Now we have produced so many Sony VCDs and we can't sell them. The losses are huge! The RB head office must be very dissatisfied with us!" The president said coldly, "Send someone to Seagate Technology Company immediately. We need to get the patent authorization for the whole machine!!!"

"Yes." The secretary nodded and responded, knowing that this was a hard job.

…

At this time, Wanyan Company.

Jiang Wanmeng and others were watching Seagate Technology's VCD product launch conference in front of the TV. Everyone looked bitter and helpless.

"Mr. Jiang...what's wrong with you?" a female employee shouted.

Jiang Wanmeng's face was very ugly, even a little desperate. He heard someone calling him, glanced at her Xun Sheng, forced a smile, and said, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired recently."

Not to mention Sony and Seagate launching VCD, other workshops and factories have also launched VCD.

Wanyan's VCD sales plummeted and declined rapidly.

The off-brand VCDs launched by small workshops are much cheaper than Wanyan VCDs, and have a huge advantage in terms of price. Seagate VCD and Sony are big foreign brands. Chinese people adore foreigners and like to buy foreign products.

The position of Wan Yan's VCD was very awkward, and Jiang Wanmeng's previous ambitions were instantly defeated by reality.

Everyone in the company lamented and panicked.

The red envelope is gone!

The bonus is gone!

The company is going to die!

Are you going to lose your job?

Jiang Wanmeng looked at the demoralized employees and said, "It's all my fault. If I had applied for a patent for the VCD machine, maybe Wanyan Company wouldn't be like this."

"Yes, Mr. Jiang, how can you save money on this? What a great patent! Look at how badly Seagate has messed up Sony!"

"Oh, look, a spokesman for Seagate Technology predicted at the press conference that VCD sales in China will be a huge number, at least 10 million, or even more. Oh, my God, if each machine charges With a patent fee of 10 yuan, you can earn 100 million yuan a year!!!"

As soon as I finished saying this, everything went silent!

100 million yuan? ?

Everyone present could not help but be shocked by this number!

You can earn 100 million yuan without doing anything, just sit and count the money!

"It's a pity that 100 million yuan no longer belongs to our Wanyan company..." an employee sighed.

Everyone looked at Jiang Wanmeng with resentful eyes.

Jiang Wanmeng also felt guilty, lowered his head and stopped talking.

Wanyan Company is a collectivized company, not Jiang Wanmeng's private company.

At this time, a leader sitting in the front row suddenly stood up and said coldly and ruthlessly: "Jiang Wanmeng, I am very disappointed with you! You should resign. From today on, you will no longer be a member of Wanyan Company." General manager."