Chapter 197: The Insidious Shirakawa Electric
Some old people left Shirakawa Electric, but some old friends came in.
Shirakawa Kaede always has a feeling of gratitude towards Yamazaki Teru in her heart.
Perhaps looking back now, Yamazaki's original design was just a mediocre choice.
But that was the first nail laid in the foundation of Shirakawa Electric and the first cornerstone of Shirakawa Electric's development.
Without it, it would be hard to say what the scale of Shirakawa Electric would be today.
So when Yamazaki Teru requested to join SIC, Shirakawa Kaede agreed without much thought.
In addition to the fact that the other party is a veteran of the company, his academic ability is also sufficient to meet SIC's admission standards.
Therefore, according to his request, Shirakawa Kaede assigned him to Shima Masayoshi's subordinate.
However, since SIC's headquarters has not been completed yet and Shima Masatoshi has not returned to his country yet, he is currently temporarily supporting the technical department in Ota Ward.
While Shirakawa Kaede was handling the company's internal affairs, he did not stop working on Shirakawa Electric's external affairs.
The electronic game industry, which had just calmed down, was once again in turmoil due to Shirakawa Electric's actions.
In October, Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo jointly filed infringement lawsuits against more than a dozen companies.
What the hell? Both the media and the onlookers were stunned.
Their first reaction was to read the announcements from the two companies again to confirm that they had not read it wrong.
The fact is, you were not mistaken.
Two companies that accused each other of plagiarism two months ago are now suddenly joining forces to sue other companies?
This incident seemed funny no matter how you looked at it, so the interested media and passers-by began to investigate what was going on.
After a closer look, it was discovered that the companies that were sued were all newly joined handheld game console manufacturers.
This is interesting, while the spectators are waiting for the excitement, the media are taking action upon hearing the news.
As expected, those handheld game console manufacturers also jumped out to refute.
They accused Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo of deliberately targeting new entrants in order to achieve a joint monopoly.
Looking at the newspaper in his hand, Bai Chuanfeng sneered. "Have you submitted the patent and physical evidence?"
"Please rest assured, President. All the information has been collected. The court has also accepted the case and the trial is expected to begin soon."
Akagi hates crude copycat plagiarism, so he has no psychological burden in suing these so-called friendly competitors.
"Let's also check the backgrounds of these companies in detail. If there are none that require special attention, then let's leave it alone."
"I understand." Akagi nodded in understanding.
Baichuan Feng’s meaning is very clear, don’t hold back on those who have no background.
If you have the courage to copy other people's product designs, you must be prepared to be sued.
In fact, Baichuan Feng had already done some research beforehand and found that most of these copycat manufacturers were toy manufacturers.
The handheld game consoles that have become popular in the second half of this year have become the most desired toys among children.
That’s right, in the eyes of these manufacturers, handheld game consoles are just toys and have nothing to do with game art content.
Since other people’s handheld toys are so popular, there’s no reason why we can’t.
As a result, these toy manufacturers have started to enter the handheld game console business, but without the technology, they can only copy the hardware.
As for games? They haven't even come into contact with game practitioners, let alone games.
But this doesn't bother them. If they can't do it themselves, they can just copy others. Copying hardware is still copying, and having more games is nothing special.
Then, the copycat handheld game consoles were born, with almost identical hardware and games.
Gaode Toys is such a player that is eager to enter the market and try new things.
In a six-story building in Taito Ward, Tokyo.
"President! Something bad has happened! The evidence provided by Shirakawa Electric has been accepted by the court!" Oda, wearing a suit, hurried into the office.
"What?" Takagi Tokujiro stood up in shock.
Did they really sue? Did the court really accept the case?
This was the first thought that came to Takagi Tokujiro's mind after hearing Oda's report.
Isn't it normal to borrow from others? Usually, people just talk about it, but never really do anything.
This has almost become a habit in the industry, but why don't you, Shirakawa Electric, play by the rules?
"Why would the court accept the case? Didn't we refute the other party?" Takagi Tokujiro asked subconsciously.
"Uh" Oda was stunned. Is it up to us at Gaode to decide whether the court will accept the case or not?
But he still patiently explained, "President, they have a patent."
"Patent?" Takagi Tokujiro was stunned for a moment.
"Yes, Shirakawa Electric has registered a patent for the cross direction key."
Oda pointed to the almost identical cross key on his own handheld game console and showed it to Takagi Tokujiro.
"Damn it, a button is worth patenting?!" Takagi Tokujiro was stunned.
He had seen technical patents and appearance patents, but he had never seen a patent for a button.
This... Shirakawa Electric is so stingy and so unsportsmanlike.
Takagi Tokujiro paced around the office in annoyance.
If it was just the game content that was similar, Takagi wouldn't be worried at all.
Because there are almost no legal regulations in this regard, Japan has never heard of any lawsuit being won due to infringement of game content.
But if it involves hardware patents, it will be troublesome because there is physical evidence and legal support.
Comparing the Shirakawa Electric handheld game console and the AutoNavi handheld game console, the result is clear.
Even the size is almost the same, so infringement is definitely a sure thing.
"Has there been any reply from Casio?" Takagi Tokujiro suddenly had another idea.
Oda shook his head. "Casio is not interested in our request for a response."
"These short-sighted guys don't even understand the principle of losing one's lips and teeth."
Takagi Tokujiro cursed harshly and began to wander around again.
However, after hearing the complaints from his own president, Oda secretly curled his lips.
Shirakawa Electric didn't sue Casio, and they're not stupid, so why would they get into this trouble?
Casio's handheld game console is called the "Game Calculator."
This is a digital game that changes the calculator's digital display to one with virtual coordinates to simulate an invader.
How should I put it, it’s very hardcore, it even retains the function of a calculator.
Even the style is similar to that of a calculator. As for the screen... Sorry, it doesn't have a screen. Everything is simulated digitally.
Therefore, Casio's handheld game console is completely different from Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo's handheld game consoles.
Because of this, the legal departments of Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo did not file a lawsuit against Casio after research.
What they want to crack down on are shoddy knockoffs, not other people's original products.
But Gaode and other copycats don’t think so, since you, Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo, have sued all of us.
Then we can unite to deal with you, so this bunch of copycats formed the .
While lowering the price of the handheld game console and engaging in a price war with Shirakawa Electric, they were also preparing to unite and actively respond to the lawsuit.
As a well-known manufacturer in the field of electronic products, Gaode certainly wants to bring Casio on board.
As a well-known company overseas, Casio, whose watch brand has even become a luxury brand.
If it joins, even if the infringement exists, Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo will surely be cautious and carefully consider the consequences of the lawsuit.
However, the idea is beautiful, but the reality is completely different.
Not only did Shirakawa Electric not sue Casio, the latter also had no interest in this third-rate company like Guide.
“No matter what, we will continue to sell our products.
The court has paid a high price to hire a lawyer and the case can be delayed as long as possible. If it cannot be delayed any longer, then respond to the lawsuit.
In short, the handheld game console business is our new profit growth point, and whether the company can get through this difficult time depends on it."
Takagi Tokujiro waved his hand, made up his mind , and prepared to fight to the end.
"Yes!" Oda received the president's order and hurried to arrange the follow-up matters.
Looking at Oda's back as he left, Takagi Tokujiro sighed worriedly.
The reason why he insisted on continuing the handheld game console business despite knowing that his company was at risk of hardware infringement was because he was reluctant to give up the profits.
AutoNavi is now heavily in debt. If it does not look for other ways to increase profits, the consequences may not be good.
Takagi Corporation is named after Takagi Tokujiro himself.
Previous business has always been mainly based on character toy models, which are what we later know as action figures.
But at this moment, the figures are no longer called figures, but media toys.
Gaode mainly uses cartoon characters as design prototypes, and the copyright is also obtained through TV stations.
It also enjoyed a period of popularity in the past two years due to the popularity of selling "Kamen Rider" toys.
However, the subsequent series of "Kamen Rider" did not make as much profit as others due to the peripheral products, so Toei simply sold the copyright to Poppy.
Poppy, a subsidiary of Bandai, is a latecomer in the field of figures, and has taken away the business of Gaode.
With its business severely hit, Gaode had no choice but to look for other copyright holders.
However, among the figures produced subsequently, only two were popular, and many suffered losses.
By this year, due to the continuous deterioration of business conditions, the company has owed nearly 1 billion yen in foreign debt.
It just so happened that handheld game consoles appeared at this time, and Takagi Tokujiro keenly realized that this would be a new trend in toys.
Facts have proved what he thought. In the past two months, the only profitable business of AutoNavi was the handheld game console business, and the profit was even very considerable.
In fact, Takagi Tokujiro has considered doing his own research and development, but the company is now heavily in debt, so where would he get the money to do research and development?
Hardware aside, the first thing that stumped him was the game. After much thought, I decided that the best approach would be to use what is available.
I hope this matter can be resolved smoothly, Takagi Tokujiro prayed silently while standing in front of the window in his office.
It’s all Poppy’s fault. She stole my “Kamen Rider”.
I remember that Bandai’s president, Shigeki Yamashina, once came to me with a smug look on his face to ask for advice on how to run “media toys”.
But then he turned around and stole our own business, what an ungrateful person!
That Shirakawa Electric is not a good thing either. It just borrowed the design from your house. Is it necessary to take it to court?
He even went so far as to register a patent for a tiny button. What a sinister guy!
And Nintendo, didn't they fight with Shirakawa Electric before? How come they are wearing the same pants again in the blink of an eye?
Such a shameless guy, Takagi Tokujiro is ashamed to be associated with him.
These so-called large companies are all jackals, without even the slightest awareness of contributing to the industry.
Tokujiro Takagi felt that his colleagues had no sense of professional ethics and had no respect for their senior colleagues in the industry.
