Chapter 124: A Clash of Fates
"So, there really is such a patent?"
"Hai" Ozone Kozo nodded somewhat ashamedly.
As the developer of the Walkman, he didn't even know that similar patents had already been developed abroad before the Walkman.
Not to mention him, even Ohga Norio was a little confused when he saw the patent authorization letter in front of him.
As the vice president and the actual manager of Sony at this time, he would not pay attention to such a small matter at all.
As far as Neon is concerned, the first Walkman was invented and manufactured by Sony.
There is nothing wrong with this sentence, but if it is applied to the whole world, a question mark needs to be added after it.
I don’t know if it’s because Sony’s R&D capabilities have been unrivaled in the world in recent years that they think no one else can have such creativity.
Or maybe this matter was really ignored, resulting in the current senior management being completely unaware of the patent situation of the Walkman.
"What is the patent situation in Japan?" Ohga Norio asked after a moment of silence.
"Here with us." Ozone Yuki replied with understanding.
No matter how careless Sony is, it will not forget to register its local patents.
Hearing Ozone Kozo's answer, Ohga Norio subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
If all the domestic patents are registered by other parties, Sony will really become a joke.
Norio Ohga took off his glasses, took out a glasses cloth from the glasses case on his desk, wiped them carefully, and put them back on.
"Is it troublesome?" He folded the glasses cloth as before and put it into the glasses case meticulously before looking up.
Ozone Kozo, who had been half-bending, hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
“ We are .”
Ohga Norio nodded slightly, this was within his expectations.
However, he also heard another meaning in the words, which was only applicable to the local area.
But unfortunately, Sony is a multinational company, not a small company that only focuses on the local market.
Moreover, with the development in recent years, the proportion of overseas business has become increasingly important in Sony's overall financial report.
Trade is mutual, and both parties need to abide by each other's laws and regulations.
Unless Sony ignores the British market , Europe is naturally integrated due to its geographical location.
Giving up Britain is basically equivalent to giving up the European market.
Sony's business scope is very large, and the Walkman is just a small part of its products.
It is obviously impossible to abandon all business in Europe because of this.
"Is there any possibility of avoidance?" Ohga Norio tapped the table with his fingers and asked in a deep voice.
It would be best if you could avoid patent risks at no cost.
“It’s very difficult. After Shirakawa Electric took over, it supplemented the original patents in various European countries and even the United States, basically plugging all the loopholes.
And because the patent already exists, it is legally in full compliance with local regulations.”
This move really hit Sony's sore spot.
Andre's original patent was actually quite rough and incomplete, with many concepts vague.
But now that Baichuan Feng has got it, how could he leave the loophole and ignore it?
He supplemented the original patents not only in Britain, but also in all European countries and even the United States.
If there are countries where we are not registered, that’s great, we can just register in all of them.
Because it was an upgrade of the original patent, after friendly communication with Andre, the name of Shirakawa Electric appeared in the patent applicant column.
What patent authorization? I am using my own patent, is that OK?
When it comes to getting something for free, Baichuan Feng is never late.
“Try to acquire it.”
Since we can't use any tricks outside the game, let's just take over Shirakawa Electric.
The square-faced Ohga Norio picked up the documents on the table again and looked at them carefully, and a smile appeared on his face.
He is now becoming more and more interested in this Meiji student.
He even wanted to meet the young man who forced Sony to spend money to solve the problem.
"Acquisition?" Ozone Yukizo was stunned. He originally thought that his family would simply ignore the other party's existence.
Or put pressure through channels to force the other party to make concessions.
Norio Ohga, whose hair was combed meticulously, knew what Kozo Ozone was thinking.
However, as he graduated from an art school, perhaps he had studied abroad before.
He is much more cheerful than most Japanese people, and even from a musician's perspective, he is a bit naive.
But to be able to become a member of the board of directors of a giant like Sony and serve as vice president at the age of 50 must have been an extraordinary thing.
Being tough may be a means, but sometimes it also depends on the object of its application.
Ohga Norio put down the information in his hand. Well, since he wants to try, let him try.
"Anyway, no matter what, let's resolve this matter as soon as possible.
The board of directors has decided that Walkman will enter overseas markets this year. Before that, the patent issue must be resolved.”
"Yes!" Ozone Yukizo nodded in understanding.
Acquisition is acquisition, but it is a measure used only when there is no other choice.
Before that, we still have to consider the weight of Shirakawa Electric.
However, since the lawyers' letters have already been sent to each other, it might not be a bad idea to meet with Shirakawa Electric first.
It would be best if the other party knows what to do. If not, Sony's powerful legal department has already been ready.
After leaving Norio Ohga's office and returning to his own ministerial office, Ozone Yukizo came to report.
"Ozone-san, Mibe Yusuke-san is outside asking for a visit."
"Mibe Yusuke? Why is this guy here again?" Ozone Kozo waved his hands irritably, "No see!"
Ozone Kozo knew very well why Mibe Yusuke came.
As the current president of Aiwa, the other party simply hopes that Sony can authorize it to use the Walkman patent and then produce its own Walkman brand.
Ozone Kozo was worried about the patent issues of Shirakawa Electric, so he had no time to care about authorization.
He even got furious when the issue of patents was mentioned, and Yusuke Mibe had completely run into his trap.
It would be strange if he could have a good temper.
Besides, the walkman has just been launched for less than a year, and now is the time to maximize the dividends. How can we let go of this piece of fat meat easily?
Even if Sony owns shares in Aiwa, it won't work because a godson and a biological son are two completely different things.
Yusuke Mibe, who had visited outside for who knows how many times, once again received a disappointing response from the assistant.
He glanced at the Sony logo on the wall of the reception room and suddenly felt a little depressed.
The first few times were okay. Even if they didn’t agree, at least they would chat with me politely.
Nowadays, people are too lazy to even put on a show.
I visited him with sincerity, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I visited him three times.
Moreover, Sony is the largest shareholder of Aiwa, so if Aiwa makes a profit, Sony makes a profit.
He is not greedy, he only wants the low-end market. It will not affect the sales of Walkman.
But..., Yusuke Mibe looked at the logo on the wall again, and thought with some malice in his heart, if it were placed in the wild era more than ten years ago.
Who cares about your patents? Just do whatever makes money. The US copied everything, not to mention Japan's own.
Feeling disappointed and aggrieved, Yusuke Mibe sighed deeply. This time he did not look at the logo on the wall again, but left the reception room without looking back.
