In the turbulent late March and early April, the scandal of audio equipment giant Aiwa being suspected of plagiarism broke out, attracting experts and passers-by to scramble to get involved.
This made Aihua, who was already quite famous, become extremely popular.
Although various manufacturers are trying to avoid such a limelight, it does not affect other friendly manufacturers from watching the fun from the sidelines.
However, just when everyone's attention was attracted by Aihua, another protagonist or victim of the story, Shirakawa Electric, once again made headlines in some newspapers.
"The bad guys are the first to complain? Questions about the patent of Shirakawa Electric Walkman!"
"Shamelessness is the pass for despicable people! A detailed explanation of the history of Shirakawa Electric"
…
Without exception, these articles raised questions about Shirakawa Electric's Walkman patent.
It is well known in Japan that the Walkman was invented by Sony.
However, although Shirakawa Electric is able to produce Walkman players, it seems that there has never been any public information about Sony licensing it to the other party.
All these newspapers seized on this point and questioned whether Shirakawa Electric itself had infringed upon copyright.
Some tabloids directly accused Shirakawa Electric of copyright infringement and even listed its similarities with the Sony Walkman.
In short, after reading these articles, it seems that Shirakawa Electric's infringement is a foregone conclusion.
And when you count carefully, you will find that the word "Aihua" is the only one that does not appear in any of the reports.
Not to mention that this eye-catching title and incredible reporting content have attracted the attention of some people.
A group of people who were eager to see chaos, under the leadership of certain people, began to turn their guns around and put Shirakawa Electric in their sights.
You, Shirakawa Electric, can't even explain your own authorization clearly, and you still have the nerve to accuse others of plagiarism and infringement?
As a result, this plagiarism storm in the electronics industry seemed to become confusing all of a sudden.
There are many different opinions about the Rashomon between Aiwa, Shirakawa Electric and Sony.
In fact, if you look closely at these reports, you will find flaws, but people who blindly follow others never pay attention to these.
The media reporters, as if enjoying a carnival, also attacked on all fronts.
"What do you think of the recent recriminations among several Walkman manufacturers?"
"No matter what, it should be clear that Aihua plagiarized. It's hard to imagine that they would do such a stupid thing..." A middle-aged man with glasses analyzed rationally.
"Sony's products are always the best!" a young man with headphones around his neck shouted to the camera.
"Shirakawa Electric, that young and handsome president seems to be a good person." Several housewives discussed with each other and unanimously gave an opinion that they all agreed with.
"Aiwa's behavior is indeed unexpected, but if Shirakawa Electric also infringes on the rights of others, then the two are equally guilty." A rational person who likes to watch the fun.
"The president of Shirakawa Electric is so handsome~ Come on, Anisan." Several female high school students laughed and huddled together, expressing their love to the camera.
…
The general public in society had all kinds of strange reactions to this Rashomon.
Some people even focus not on plagiarism itself, but on where it has gone astray.
But these are ultimately the opinions of the outside world. As for the three protagonists of the incident, everyone is waiting for their reactions.
Moreover, compared with the solid evidence presented by Shirakawa Electric, various other opinions that muddy the waters are obviously weak and some are untenable.
So what is Mr. Shirakawa Kaede of Shirakawa Electric, who is at the center of public opinion, doing? He is receiving several foreign friends in the conference room.
“Thank you for coming here from afar. Shirakawa Electric is also very happy to cooperate with you in the field of cassette players.
However, we still need to discuss the specific cooperation method internally before we can give you a reply. "
Several blond-haired and blue-eyed foreigners looked at each other, smiled and nodded.
"Mr. Shirakawa, I look forward to reaching a consensus with your company as soon as possible.
We have a broad market base in Europe and the United States. As long as we reach a cooperation agreement, I believe this cool music player will soon be liked by everyone."
"Baichuan Electric also hopes to see this day soon." Baichuan Feng stood up and shook hands with them one by one, nodding to each other in thanks.
Looking at the backs of the foreigners leaving, Baichuan Feng's eyes flashed with light. Europe and the United States are a big piece of cake.
"Are you thinking about the overseas market again?" Asuka Kobayashi came over with a cup of coffee, handed him the cup, and asked naturally.
After taking a sip of the coffee, Baichuan Feng sighed contentedly.
"Tsk, Mr. Kobayashi's business acumen has become even sharper."
Kobayashi Asuka showed an interested look on her face, "So what does our president plan to do?"
"Shilchuan Electric will naturally go for overseas markets. As for licensing, we'll talk about it after Shirakawa Electric takes the first bite."
Asuka Kobayashi was not surprised by Shirakawa Kaede's answer.
The foreigners who just came here are from several European and American audio brand manufacturers, including Marantz, Micromax, Dynaudio, etc.
They heard from somewhere that the patent for the Walkman was in the hands of Shirakawa Electric, so they flew thousands of miles to visit Shirakawa Feng.
The purpose is nothing more than to obtain the local patent authorization for the Walkman.
Shirakawa Feng suspected that they had heard about Sony's movements in the overseas market and thus keenly smelled the business opportunity.
But no matter what, this also reminds Shirakawa Feng that it is time to plan for overseas markets.
“The local market for Walkman has stabilized and will not see much change in the coming period.
I will ask Mr. Hasegawa to select a few employees who are proficient in English later. Perhaps we should set up a branch in Europe and the United States first.
Let Mr. Hasegawa and his team take our products there first, and after they get there, we will recruit employees for the branch directly locally.
Especially for sales personnel, it is better to use the old method of entrusting headhunters to hire professionals.
Make full use of the personal connections of local employees to promote the Walkman as quickly as possible."
"I understand." Asuka Kobayashi nodded seriously. This was the first step for Shirakawa Electric to officially enter the overseas market.
If you want to enter overseas markets, it is necessary to register a company locally.
Moreover, the main framework needs to be built as early as possible, and then the local channel dealers can be opened up.
Originally, Baichuan Feng was planning to handle these things himself, but Aihua's affairs have not been resolved recently, so he could only let the people below take the lead.
"President, Norio Ohga-san from Sony called."
As soon as Shirakawa Kaede and Kobayashi Asuka walked out of the conference room, they ran into Assistant Komatsu who was running over from upstairs.
Shirakawa Kaede turned around and looked at Asuka Kobayashi. Here it comes, and they both smiled at the same time.
Without delay, Shirakawa Kaede returned to the office and called Ohga Norio back immediately.
"Ohga-san, it's me, Shirakawa Kaede."
"I heard that Mr. Shirakawa is negotiating with several European and American companies about overseas licensing of Walkman?" Ohga Norio couldn't wait to ask as soon as he came up.
"Mr. Ohga, you're worrying too much. It's just that a few friendly overseas companies paid a friendly visit to Shirakawa Electric." Shirakawa Feng explained casually.
However, Ohga Norio didn't believe it was that simple, "Mr. Shirakawa, please don't forget that we both signed a mutual grant agreement.
Sony has also always strictly abided by the terms of the agreement and has not done anything to harm the interests of Shirakawa Electric.
Please also abide by your original promise, reputation is the foundation of the company's operation."
Hearing this, Baichuan Feng finally smiled, "Of course, I agree with what Ohga-san said.
But..." He dragged out his tone and only finished half of the sentence.
"Mr. Shirakawa, just say whatever you want to say." Ohga Norio asked calmly.
Baichuan Feng smiled silently, "Baichuan Electric also fully recognizes the contents of the agreement with you.
But your subsidiary, Aihua, has recently made some outrageous statements in the newspapers.
It is simply slander to accuse Shirakawa Electric of infringing your patent rights.
Oha-san knows what's going on here very well.
Therefore, we would like to trouble you to clarify this point and clear Shirakawa Electric of the injustice.
In addition, the recent actions of your Aihuazi Company are really disheartening.
Ohga-san, do you remember the appointment we made a week ago? Is this Sony's response to this?"
The last sentence that Baichuan Feng asked was one of self-righteousness and fearlessness.
Ohga Norio, who was on the other end of the conversation, already had some understanding of Shirakawa Kaede.
At this moment, hearing the innocence expressed between the lines and his final righteous question, I was really angry at his shamelessness.
How did your Shirakawa Electric get the patent for the Walkman? Don’t you, Shirakawa Feng, know?
Now you have the nerve to pretend to be innocent and ask me, Sony, to personally prove your innocence?
If you haven't had cerebral thrombosis for ten years, you would never come up with this suggestion.
Besides, whenever Aiwa is mentioned in the newspaper, the words "Sony subsidiary" are added in front of it. Do you really think others don't understand what you are thinking?
However, the most taboo in business negotiations is losing rationality. Ohga Norio took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to curse.
Moreover, Aiwa's reckless behavior once put Sony in a passive position.
That guy from Sanbian... Never mind, there won't be any Sanbian anymore.
Ohga Norio calmed down and spoke again.
"Sony will issue a certificate of authorization from Shirakawa Electric, and we ask you to abide by the original agreement.
In addition, regarding Aihua’s matter, it is time to wrap it up in two days.
After all, this is an internal matter of our consumer electronics company, and there is no need to let outsiders laugh at us.”
After hearing Ohga Norio's reply, Shirakawa Kaede also became serious.
"Okay, let's do as Oga-san said and see you in two days."
After hanging up the phone, Baichuan Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
As he expected, when Sony heard that a foreign colleague came to visit Shirakawa Kaede, Ohga Norio immediately became restless.
In fact, the foreigners today were able to learn that Shirakawa Electric had the patent for the Walkman because it was Shirakawa Feng who deliberately released it.
Sony's overseas market layout is proceeding in full swing, and it is said that a press conference for related products has been held.
If Shirakawa Electric releases its patent authorization at this time, one can imagine how much impact it will have on Sony.
After Ohga Norio learned the news, he immediately called Shirakawa Kaede, which shows how much the other party attaches importance to this matter.
The reason why Shirakawa Kaede did this was to force Sony to come forward and do something.
Of course, it is to clarify the rumors and prove Shirakawa Electric's innocence.
By the way, Shirakawa Electric can also use the local patent license originally given by Sony to dispel the rumors.
But the effect is not as impressive as that of Sony’s own efforts.
Sony personally stepped in to prove the innocence of Shirakawa Electric, and said that it was all the fault of its godson Aihua.
Tsk, don't think about it too excitingly.
…
In early April, when the outside world was still arguing over Aihua’s plagiarism of Triple Rashomon.
Sony, which has been a bystander with a low presence, suddenly issued an announcement.
"Given the recent speculation and confusion regarding Sony's Walkman patent licensing,
Sony Corporation hereby makes the following statement:
1. After several rounds of friendly communication with Shirakawa Electric on the issue of Walkman licensing, Sony reached a consensus on cooperation in February this year.
Sony and Shirakawa Electric do not have any infringement disputes. We hope that consumers will not believe in various false rumors from the outside world.
2. Regarding the Aiwa Walkman incident, Sony is also actively communicating with Shirakawa Electric and Aiwa Corporation.
Please wait for official notification for the specific ruling results.
Thank you for your support and trust in Sony Group. Sony will always design each product with an innovative and progressive attitude to give back to everyone's support and attention.
Statement by: Sony Group Walkman Division
As Sony’s announcement was issued, Shirakawa Electric also immediately released a corresponding announcement.
The general meaning is basically consistent with Sony's statement. Shirakawa Electric is willing to and actively communicate in a friendly manner with peers in the industry.
At the same time, we will never give up pursuing the infringers and vow to seek justice for ourselves and for the consumers who have always supported Shirakawa Electric.
Some rumors from outside are untrue, so I hope everyone will not believe them easily.
In addition, Shirakawa Electric also revealed that it is currently in final communication with Sony regarding Aiwa's infringement issue, and the final result will be announced to the public in the near future.
The joint statements from Sony and Shirakawa Electric have dispelled the rumors about Shirakawa Electric's own infringement.
Moreover, Sony has personally come forward to testify that it has been confirmed that Shirakawa Electric is the victim of infringement.
Similarly, Aihua has indeed been nailed to the pillar of shame, and has not even issued a public statement so far.
This makes the public's impression of it even worse. At least it seems that this company lacks the spirit of craftsmanship and has no Japanese flavor at all.
Just as the outside world was once again in an uproar over the announcements of the two companies, Baichuan Feng instead focused his attention on another matter.
In the office, Shirakawa Kaede was explaining to Hasegawa the things to pay attention to during the overseas trip.
After all, this is the first step for Shirakawa Electric to expand overseas, and the preliminary basic work must be done well.
The location selection, staff recruitment, etc. of the branch office must be carefully considered, and to a certain extent it showcases the image of Shirakawa Electric.
The cultural environment in Europe and the United States is very different from that in Japan, so try to be more dignified in your style.
Don't be like most companies in Japan, which are petty-minded.
Maybe Japanese people are used to it, but people in Europe and the United States don’t see it that way.
Just as Shirakawa Kaede was giving instructions, Assistant Komatsu knocked on the door and announced that a special guest had arrived.
After hearing the name, Baichuan Feng paused, then signaled Hasegawa and the others to leave the office first, leaving him alone.
After a few breaths, a haggard figure appeared at the door of the office.
His cheeks were extremely thin, his eyes were full of fatigue, and the Mediterranean Sea above his head showed signs of expanding further.
The person who came was Eiji Kimura from Kimura Manufacturing. The first thing he did when he entered the office and saw Shirakawa Kaede was to walk towards him quickly.
Just when Baichuan Feng thought that the other party would do something unwise and was about to take precautions.
However, when Eiji Kimura was still a few steps away from him, he stopped and bowed 90 degrees.
"Mr. Shirakawa, please let Kimura Production go. Your company directly published technical information in the newspaper, which is suspected to have been leaked from Kimura Production.
Isn’t this kind of accusation too hasty and irresponsible? "
Baichuan Feng was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing out loud.
Eiji Kimura looked up in surprise, and seeing that the other party still showed no sign of restraining himself, he couldn't help feeling a little angry.
But after thinking about his original intention, he silently suppressed his anger.
After laughing for a while, Baichuan Feng put away his expression and his face became solemn.
"Mr. Kimura, from what you just said, it seems that the leakage of Shirakawa Electric's technical data has nothing to do with your company?"
Eiji Kimura's expression changed, then he gritted his teeth and said affirmatively.
"Kimura Manufacturing has always adhered to the principle of customer first, and there is absolutely no problem with our confidentiality."
This kind of thing cannot be acknowledged under any circumstances, even if Eiji Kimura himself knows what is going on.
After reading the newspaper that day, he knew something was going to go wrong.
Originally, Eiji Kimura planned to go to Shirakawa Electric immediately to explain and clear himself of suspicion.
After all, such things cannot be admitted without evidence.
However, Shirakawa Electric cut off the order one step ahead, making Kimura Eiji realize that the other party believed that these things were his doing.
He was so panicked at first because of the newspaper reports and his own guilty conscience that he lost his balance and fell down.
But after he came to his senses, he thought for a long time and decided to never admit it.
After all, the newspaper only mentioned it briefly, and there was no definite evidence. He could just say it was slander.
Otherwise, Kimura Production will never be able to recover and the customer's technical information will be leaked. Just think about the consequences of this.
However, some newspapers have mentioned the name of Kimura Production, and the orders for Kimura Production have continued to decrease in the past two days.
Many customers are calling to ask if what's in the newspaper is true.
Eiji Kimura explained one by one, patting his chest to assure that this was complete slander.
Some people were skeptical, while others withdrew their orders quietly.
But overall, Kimura Production's current business situation has not completely collapsed.
However, Eiji Kimura knew in his heart that if the matter was not clarified as soon as possible, the final outcome for the company would definitely not be good.
So how to clarify? Eiji Kimura looked at the figure in front of him, gritted his teeth, and decided to stick to his guns.
In response to Kimura Eiji's sophistry, Shirakawa Kaede simply sneered.
"Mr. Kimura, do you remember the confidentiality agreement we signed?"
Eiji Kimura's face changed. Thinking of the huge compensation stipulated in the original agreement, his heart couldn't stop trembling.
For this type of processing involving product technical information, both parties will generally sign a confidentiality agreement.
The same is true for Shirakawa Electric and Kimura Production. The amount for breach of contract is definitely something that Kimura Production cannot afford at the moment.
Thinking of this, Kimura Eiji still gritted his teeth and insisted, "Please understand, Mr. Shirakawa, Kimura Production has absolutely not violated the terms of the agreement.
We have always kept Shirakawa Electric's technical information top secret, so there will never be any leaks."
Shirakawa Feng already had a rough idea of ​​what Kimura Eiji was thinking, but this was not beyond his expectations.
Before people despair, they always struggle desperately before giving up their fantasies and accepting the arrangements of fate.
"Kimura-san, please go back first. Come see me again when you have thought it through."
Since the other party has not yet fallen into despair, Baichuan Feng has plenty of patience to deal with him.
When Eiji Kimura heard Shirakawa Kaede's intention to send him away, he was stunned for a moment before he reacted.
It seems that it is impossible to ask the other party to clarify for Kimura, but it is not so easy to make him bow his head.
Eiji Kimura bowed slightly, then turned around and said goodbye.
"Mr. Kimura" Just when Eiji Kimura was about to leave the office, Shirakawa Kaede's voice suddenly rang out again.
“A reminder: it is very dangerous to subcontract the company’s orders again.
Because once things get out of control, the risks multiply.”
Eiji Kimura's body shook violently, he turned around and looked at Shirakawa Kaede with a look of astonishment.
Bai Chuanfeng, who was behind the desk, smiled slightly and said, "Take care of yourself."
Eiji Kimura came to his senses and left the office with a pale face.
Looking at the other person's departing back, Baichuan Feng sighed slightly in his heart.
As expected, every company operator will try their best to struggle for their own business.
They will not give up easily unless they have no other choice or are in despair.
Think about yourself, it's the same. When it comes to business, you must be careful and cautious with every decision you make.
However, although I can understand Mr. Kimura, it does not mean that I have to forgive him.
The price of forgiving him was that Shirakawa Electric's technical data was leaked, Aiwa took advantage of the situation, Shirakawa Electric suffered huge losses, and the next generation of drawings needed to be overturned and redesigned.
So Baichuan Feng would never let it go. He said at the beginning that this matter would not end well.
Thinking of this, he picked up the phone and dialed the number.
"Ota-kun, how's the data collection going?...Okay, thank you for your hard work...Now is not the time yet, let's wait for the next news..."
After hanging up the phone, Shirakawa Feng breathed a sigh of relief and put Kimura's production work aside for two days.
What we need to resolve now is the feud with Aihua. We have been entangled with each other for nearly a month, and it is time to put an end to this matter.
…
In April, the weather in Tokyo has become relatively mild. People's thick coats have been replaced by light single clothes.
However, the most eye-catching thing is still the pink and white embellishments among the branches and leaves on both sides of the road.
A warm breeze blew by, and petals fell in a riot of colour.
After getting off the car, Shirakawa Feng stood on the side of the street and stared for a long time before coming back to his senses.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Asuka Kobayashi, who was wearing a white women's shirt, quietly walked to his side and sighed softly.
Baichuan Feng still looked at the cherry blossoms in the distance, smiled and nodded, "It's been a long time since I stopped and felt life quietly."
It has been more than two years without me noticing, but it seems like I have always been busy.
He used to have the leisure to go to an izakaya with Kotaro to drink, but now he can't remember when was the last time they went to an izakaya together.
"If you need me, I'll be happy to help."
Shirakawa Feng was stunned for a moment, then turned his eyes away. Kobayashi Asuka was glowing white under the cherry tree.
Fair skin, white shirt, pink and white cherry blossoms, the beautiful spring scenery complement each other.
As if she realized that her words were a bit bold and abrupt, she blushed slightly and lifted her bangs that were messed up by the wind and tucked them behind her ears.
"After all, I've been in college for more than two years, and I haven't really traveled."
Thinking that almost all of the other party's holidays were spent at Shirakawa Electric, Baichuan Feng felt a little guilty.
He nodded in approval of her idea, "Okay, after this incident, I must accompany Xiaolin on a good outing."
"That's good enough," Asuka Kobayashi nodded with satisfaction.
"Then let's go."
"Um"
The two men gathered their spirits and led the people from Shirakawa Electric towards the Sony Building not far away.