Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 334 - 329 Not So Easy (3)

Patent licensing, though comprised merely of a few simple words, is actually an extremely tedious and complicated process, involving numerous legal clauses and confidentiality agreements.

Yan Yan had previously considered how to handle this patent.

She just hadn’t expected to have to respond this quickly.

People from Europe had sought her out, and Yan Yan had handed them over to the Allegro family’s legal team in Europe for communication.

On the US side, she also entrusted the experienced legal team of the Ian family.

In terms of patent protection, both Europe and the United States are already very mature, whether in terms of legal provisions or enforcement.

The same day requests came not only from enterprises in Europe and America but also from several domestic companies.

It wasn’t as easy to deal with the domestic companies wanting to get the authorization.

The most challenging to deal with were the two that Yan Yan and Yan Ling had to handle themselves.

Besides being from their domestic "hometown elders," two had used various connections to approach the Yan siblings right after the launch of Maison Yan II.

Yan Yan originally wanted to keep the materials under wraps for a while longer, so she disregarded all comers.

Now, since she agreed to authorize companies in Europe and America but not the domestic enterprises longing for the materials, the situation was indefensible.

However, in China, the protection of intellectual property and patents was just beginning to be established.

Ten years ago, Microsoft took a major action to protect its intellectual property in China by turning the screens of all pirated users blue.

This completely legitimate action would go unnoticed in Europe and America but incited widespread condemnation domestically.

The idea of having to pay for a Windows system seemed like a joke to many.

Many claimed that they had used the system for over a dozen years and had never actually seen what a paid Windows looked like.

Subsequently, Microsoft capitulated.

Not long after, driven by necessity, they altered their strategy, simply suggesting that genuine software offered a better experience and ended the discussion.

Instead of targeting individual users again, Microsoft started selling the system directly to major manufacturers like DELL and Lenovo.

Microsoft’s concession even led many to feel that using a pirated system was justified.

Thus, they continued using pirated systems without guilt, still embracing a piracy-friendly mentality.

At that time, as gaming was beginning to thrive, many used pirated systems to play legitimate games, yet they also criticized pirated games.

These individuals might have been students when the blue screen incidents occurred.

Over time, some of these people graduated, started businesses that performed quite well, and looked to secure venture capital.

That’s when they realized there was a price to pay for using pirated systems.

Once your company grew to a certain size, Microsoft would sue you.

Being a defendant wasn’t just about paying for a few systems; it was much more complicated.

A casual lawsuit could easily result in owing at least 100,000 dollars in damages.

The cost you would have originally paid for the system was often only a fraction of the compensation amount.

Of course, when speaking of "compensation" of 100,000 dollars, we are referring to small companies.

An additional expense of 100,000 dollars could represent an entire year’s profit for many small enterprises.

If the company was publicly traded but still used pirated systems, the amount to be compensated could be astronomical.

Faced with a penalty due to a lawsuit, some might choose to disregard it.

If you decide to terminate your company, or if you don’t care about its future, then you might take this route.

However, if your company is in a growth phase, particularly when seeking investment, a lawsuit could likely scare off all your investors.

Microsoft typically doesn’t sue companies close to bankruptcy—they target those with good growth prospects, which is why their lawsuits are always accurate.

Even if you decide to negotiate privately at this stage, it’s much costlier than if you had used legitimate software from the start.

Intellectual property protection in China is a struggle, and exercising one’s rights is exceedingly difficult.

Yan Yan entrusted this challenging authorization task to the law firm where her high school classmate Jin Jin now worked—the Shi Li Law Firm.

In the realm of intellectual property protection, Jin Jin’s firm, where she is now a partner, is at the forefront nationally.

Even business giants like Apple, DELL, and ABB entrust Shi Li Law Firm with their intellectual property infringement issues domestically.

Materials science is a rapidly evolving field; even if Yan Yan kept the information to herself, similar materials would inevitably be developed eventually.

Rather than withholding it, it was better to take advantage of the current high interest in the material to ensure the licensing and protection of intellectual property were properly handled.

On the day of launch, everything went smoothly, and ironically, what occupied most of Yan Yan’s time was discussing the domestic authorization issues of the new material with Jin Jin.

In the middle of the night, Jin Jin was woken by Yan Yan’s call. Just as she was about to lose her temper, Yan Yan quickly and formally stated that she wanted to "discuss business."

Shi Li is involved in international law, so being summoned from bed in the middle of the night isn’t all that unlikely.

Thus, without even getting a chance to get angry, Jin Jin began to seriously discuss the matter while casually chatting with Yan Yan.

The two, who had not spoken by phone in ages, once started, found it hard to stop. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The conversation eventually turned to the time when Yan Yan had to present an award to a hip-hop artist flying in on a private jet to New York from another city.

～～～～～

[Heart to Heart]

Xiao Mo never intended to take the moral high ground about watching pirated content.

Because that’s not the reality; even super influencers from the starting point of their careers admit they started with pirated books.

It’s essentially a matter of habit.

Europe, the United States, Japan— all have experienced eras rampant with piracy.

Compared to the post-95 and post-00 generations who are mostly yet to start earning, the post-70 and post-80 generations who have begun to control their own financial decisions are more resistant to the idea that reading novels should incur a fee.

Paying for copyrights was rare during the growth of those born in the 70s and 80s.

Charging for listening to music or for watching videos online was unimaginable in China a decade ago.

This is why, ten years ago, Microsoft faced severe criticism for a widespread blue screen event, but today, people are gradually becoming accustomed to it.

To avoid ads and enjoy better services, quality sound, and better experiences, payment is necessary.

Quietly waiting for the golden era of web-literature without piracy to arrive.

It’s said that some are prompted to buy legitimate copies to read the author’s words, and others, out of affection for a favorite author.

Yesterday, a super cute sweet-voiced girl said she became a fan through "Chance Meeting with a Perfumer" and immediately made a donation to Xiao Mo as an Alliance Hierarch.

Flattered, xoxo@Chu Yiyang.

(Today’s author note will share a fun fact about piracy and Mr. Mo.)