Chapter 1563 Patent Alliance
three days later.
At 7:30 in the evening, the opening music of CCTV's interview program, which is known for its depth and authority, sounded steadily.
This special issue, titled "Eliminating the 'Traitors' and Fighting Against Hunting", has a steady pace and clear structure, and is no different from previous similar programs.
The program flow was steady and orderly: the host introduced the background of the launch of the special review and examination operation in a calm tone; prosecutor Zhou Zheng, dressed in a neat uniform and with a solemn expression, clearly explained the investigative process of discovering abnormal capital flows from clues and locking in the key "insider"; the disciplinary inspection cadres supplemented the explanation of how to dig deep into the interest network behind it.
The screen is interspersed with clips from the interrogation room. Several criminal suspects (all blurred) recount in low voices and with regret how they were dragged into the water by foreign forces in the name of "consultancy fees" and "project cooperation" and became pawns to steal national scientific research intelligence and disrupt normal business order.
However, it is not difficult for those who are interested to see that the subtleties of the program are hiding their sharpness——
When the narrator mentioned in a steady tone that "some domestic personnel have colluded with foreign forces, and their actions have seriously threatened national scientific and technological security and industrial development", the background picture briefly switched to the office scene of a special task force.
Several staff members are concentrating on operating their computers. Although the screen content is blurred by mosaic, it is not difficult for professionals to recognize the blue and white blocks of the FEI company logo.
What is even more interesting is that in a screenshot of an encrypted document subsequently shown to be passed by an "insider" regarding the technical details of a domestic high-tech enterprise, a clear "FEI" watermark in the lower right corner of the document was not completely covered, like a silent and glaring signature, which stayed in the picture long enough.
This episode, in a steady pace, completed the "official certification" of FEI's behind-the-scenes role.
If the previous suggestion by the Wall Street Journal still left room for maneuver, then at this moment, on China's most authoritative media platform, FEI has been labeled as "the mastermind behind obstructing the application of new technologies," an indelible label.
The news was like a stone thrown into a quiet lake, and the ripples instantly spread to the nerve endings of the global financial markets.
Just two hours after the show ended, the New York Stock Exchange ushered in another trading day.
FEIC's opening price seemed to have lost all support and fell vertically in an instant.
Panic selling surged in, and trading volume exploded in an instant.
At 9:35, the first circuit breaker for an individual stock was triggered and trading was suspended for five minutes.
After the resumption of trading, the downward trend did not decrease but increased, with sell orders piling up and buy orders being very few.
At 9:45, the second circuit breaker occurred.
At 10 o'clock sharp, the circuit breaker tripped for the third time.
Every brief pause seems to be gathering momentum for the next, more violent decline.
The stock price plummeted from double digits at the opening to the abyss.
To make matters worse, shortly after the third circuit breaker was triggered, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a rare brief statement: "The SEC continues to pay attention to market fluctuations. After preliminary monitoring, FEIC's stock price fluctuations today were driven by market supply and demand, which is in line with the characteristics of normal investment behavior. No obvious evidence of illegal activities such as market manipulation or insider trading has been found. Investors should make prudent decisions based on their own risk tolerance."
This seemingly neutral statement, against the backdrop of FEI's free-falling stock price, was tantamount to an official announcement that it had given up any protection for this shaky enterprise and tacitly accepted the market's judgment on it.
When FEIC's stock price irretrievably fell below the symbolic threshold of $0.5 and struggled on the edge of "junk stocks", the SEC once again issued an announcement: "After review, the SEC has approved Thermo Fisher Scientific's non-binding cash acquisition offer for FEI."
The wording of the announcement is still official, but its timing is precise and its intentions are obvious.
Before the giant ship FEI sank completely, the American industry giant Thermo Fisher Scientific stepped in to "salvage" its core assets to ensure that these "wreckages" that were crucial to the U.S. technology industry chain would not fall into the hands of competitors outside North America.
This is not only a stop-loss at the capital level, but also an asset preservation at the national strategic level.
Obviously, even the most "free" market is not completely regulated by the invisible hand.
This approval, like a clear instruction, completely shattered the already fragile tacit alliance between laboratory equipment giants such as Thermo Fisher, Hitachi, JEOL, and Delong.
The lure of a trillion-dollar market completely overwhelms any considerations based on geography or old friendships.
Almost at the same time as the SEC announcement was released, the senior executives of these companies rushed to extend earnestly worded and favorable olive branches of cooperation to Candlelight Technology and Huiju Technology through various channels.
Phone calls, emails, and even personal letters poured in to Sun Fei and his team.
At this time, Chang Haonan finished watching CCTV's special program at home.
As soon as I picked up the teacup, the confidential hotline phone on the desk rang.
The caller ID was Sun Fei, the head of HuiJu Technology.
"Academician Chang, did I disturb your rest?" Sun Fei's voice came through the receiver. In addition to the excitement that he could not suppress, there was also a hint of inquiry.
"No, I just finished watching the news. Is there any progress on your side?" Chang Haonan put down the teacup, his tone steady.
"Yes, several companies have responded, and the speed is much faster than expected..." Sun Fei replied, and then quickly repeated the core cooperation conditions proposed by Thermo Fisher, Hitachi, JEOL, Delong, and CAMECA -
They are all willing to accept two-way patent licensing, establish joint ventures targeting the Chinese and even global markets, and commit to investing in establishing advanced production or R&D centers in China.
Among them, JEOL and Delong have gone the extra mile and proactively proposed to provide China's top universities and national research institutions with special funding support of no less than RMB 10 million for "technical cooperation and talent training" every year over the next five years.
"The question now is, which one should we prioritize, or what strategy should we adopt?" Sun Fei asked. "Their conditions basically meet our bottom line requirements in terms of the framework, but there is definitely room for negotiation on the details."
Chang Haonan did not answer immediately, but asked: "From the perspective of pure technical implementation, what are your opinions on the equipment platforms of these companies?" After a slight pause, he added, "Especially in combination with the core needs of the commercialization of our TEM-APT combined equipment."
Sun Fei was clearly prepared, and gave a clear answer: "Our team has basically solved the core compatibility issues between the two heterogeneous system platforms of TEM and APT, so from the perspective of system integration, the difference between the various companies is not big... The only one that needs special attention is CAMECA. Their strengths are APT and secondary ion mass spectrometry, and they may have to compromise on accuracy in the field of the highest-end field emission TEM."
This is obviously good news.
"Which side do you prefer?" Chang Haonan's tone was much more relaxed.
"Academician Chang, to be honest, I personally... or our team's operating habits, are indeed more familiar with FEI's equipment and control software. The previous verification machine was made by dismantling two old FEI models and patching them together, so it was easy to run in."
At this point, Sun Fei let out a slight wry laugh from the other end of the phone, and then changed the subject:
"But now FEI is in trouble and will be acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific. It will take at least a year or two to sort out the internal integration, personnel turmoil and supply chain adjustments after such a large-scale merger. If we choose Thermo Fisher Scientific, we are essentially choosing the 'new FEI', which will not have any efficiency advantage."
This answer is very clever.
It seems that the statement is clear, but in reality no choice has been made, thus avoiding the risk of overstepping authority.
"I see." Chang Haonan didn't think so much, but he had another dimension of consideration, "Do you think our choice will have a significant impact on the balance of power between these suppliers?"
"On the surface, if Thermo Fisher successfully swallows up FEI, it will indeed become a giant with the largest scale and the most complete product line, followed by Hitachi and JEOL. Delong is relatively the smallest... But this is based on the division of strengths and weaknesses in the existing market structure, and is not worth mentioning at all in the face of new industrial changes!"
Sun Fei's tone was also full of smiles. It was obvious that this experience of being able to decide the fate of other industry giants was quite good:
"In short, whoever can deeply integrate our technology will be able to seize the initiative in the field of next-generation microscopic characterization equipment. The so-called balance, the initiative is completely in our hands."
However, what Sun Fei was secretly happy about was also what Chang Haonan was most worried about.
"If domestic high-end instruments and equipment want to break through, patent barriers are only the first hurdle. We still have a visible gap with the international top level in precision processing, special materials, production technology and engineering experience of core components."
Chang Haonan pointed out his concerns:
"That is to say, for quite a long time, we not only need patent authorization from our partners, but also need them to steadily provide some high-performance finished parts that we are temporarily unable to produce ourselves to support the performance and reliability of our own products. This is a realistic demand that cannot be avoided."
Sun Fei immediately understood Chang Haonan's hidden meaning:
"Are you worried that our choice may lead to the other party forming a new and more difficult-to-shake monopoly in the laboratory equipment market?"
"That's right." Chang Haonan affirmed, "The United States, Japan, the Netherlands... are not reliable partners. There are too many historical lessons... We must strive for a sufficient growth window for domestic equipment and maintain a relatively balanced external supply environment until we fully master the independent production capabilities of all core links."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. It was obvious that Sun Fei was digesting and weighing the situation quickly.
Soon, he proposed a plan: "Then... can we set up a joint company with the participation of multiple parties? We can bring in the interested companies, Juhui and Zhuhuo, and even bring in powerful domestic scientific research institutes or manufacturing companies to form a joint venture? This way, we can integrate resources and form a certain balance of power internally."
"Joint companies is one direction, but it may not be enough." Chang Haonan's thinking went a step further. "I propose that Huiju Technology and Zhuhuo Technology take the lead and take advantage of the favorable opportunity when global public opinion is highly concerned and we occupy the moral and technological commanding heights to proactively propose to several other giants to jointly establish an 'Open Microscopic Characterization Technology Consortium' (OMCC)."
This is something Chang Haonan has been thinking about for a long time.
To the outside world, the alliance can claim that its purpose is to "promote the interface standardization and data interoperability of global high-end electron microscopes, atom probes and related associated equipment, lower the threshold for users to use, and promote the innovation of microscopic scientific research paradigms." This banner is aboveboard, meets the general expectations of the scientific community, and is easy to gain support.
Internally, it can be interpreted as sharing future market dividends together while completely keeping other potential competitors, such as South Korea or other emerging forces, out.
"Great!" After hearing this, Sun Fei couldn't help but praise: "The idea of this alliance can not only shut up those who advocate technological protectionism, but also actually build a new industry order that is most beneficial to us. I fully agree!"
"Okay." Chang Haonan was relieved after hearing Sun Fei's approval. "The bottom line is: the alliance must be established, the core standards we set must be adopted, and the patent cross-licensing pool must cover the key technologies we need. As for the specific proportion of profit distribution, the initial investment amount for factory construction, and the research and development funding support, they are all non-principled chips that can be flexibly compromised."
"The top priority is to establish the alliance as quickly as possible, obtain stable and reliable high-performance TEM and APT equipment, and ensure the overall progress of our atomic manufacturing and next-generation battery material research and development! Time waits for no one."
"Understood! Academician Chang, please rest assured!" Sun Fei's voice was full of enthusiasm. "I will immediately gather people and draft the alliance proposal and the preliminary framework agreement overnight! At the negotiation table, I know what to do."
