You call this entrepreneurship?

Chapter 489

As soon as Qin Shaoyan opened his mouth, Cao Guowei immediately became alert.

Why did he call me suddenly?
What's the purpose of calling me at this time?
court?

Annoyed into anger?
Or a declaration of war?
Cao Guowei was on guard, but he smiled and said, "I didn't expect that you, Mr. Qin, would call me personally to congratulate me. This shows that our Sina Weibo is doing quite well and has been recognized and respected by our competitors."

"I'm just being polite." Qin Shaoyan said with a smile, "It's not a matter of respect or recognition. Mr. Cao doesn't have to worry too much."

Cao Guowei frowned, "Then Mr. Qin, please comment on our Sina Weibo business. What do you think?"

"I'm just taking a look." Qin Shaoyan hesitated for two seconds, "I think your business has great potential and there is still a lot of room for growth in the future. You have to keep working hard."

Cao Guowei immediately heard the hidden meaning. What huge potential and a lot of room for growth? Doesn't that just mean that our Weibo is still very weak?

However, Cao Guowei did not get angry. He just sneered, "Boss Qin, you are not here just to argue with me, right? That would be too boring, right?"

"Well, if you hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten the important matter." Qin Shaoyan's tone became formal. "I called for two reasons. One is to congratulate, and the second is to tell Mr. Cao."

"Your Sina Weibo name is not good. It is the same as our Weibo product. In order to avoid misunderstanding, you should change it."

Cao Guowei was immediately amused when he heard this, "Qin Shaoyan, you are too overbearing. Why can you use it but I can't?"

"Huh? Mr. Cao, do you mean you don't plan to change the name?" Qin Shaoyan was very surprised.

"Why change?" Cao Guowei asked back.

"Okay, okay." Qin Shaoyan smiled, "Then wait for my lawyer's letter."

Qin Shaoyan hung up the phone directly. Cao Guowei listened to the dead tone coming out of the microphone, frowned and said, "Psycho."

But as soon as he put down the phone, he was suddenly stunned.

Qin Shaoyan's call was strange. He called me specifically to inform me to change my name?

Cao Guowei actually studied his opponent Qin Shaoyan carefully and found that every time this guy made a move, there was no trace to be found, and he would attack you from angles that you could not expect.

Now Qin Shaoyan asked him to change his name. Is he going to sue us for plagiarism?
Cao Guowei frowned. This move had to be guarded against. Even the penguin suffered a loss.

But that's because Penguin's QQ Farm directly used the other party's art resources. Our Weibo was made entirely by ourselves, and the website's art was personally supervised by Wang Wei, so there shouldn't be any mistakes.

So what exactly does Qin Shaoyan mean?
When Cao Guowei was wondering, Wang Wei, who was in charge of Sina Weibo business, rushed in in panic.

"Boss Cao, Qin Shaoyan publicly accused us of copyright infringement on their Weibo account?"

Cao Guowei scolded with a stern face, "Why are you so anxious? If he thinks we have infringed your rights, let him sue. Why are you so anxious?"

"The social model of Weibo is not a patent. Can he have an exclusive monopoly on it?"

"It's not because of this?" Wang Wei said anxiously, "He posted a lawyer's letter on Weibo, saying that they had already registered the Weibo trademark and we can no longer use the Weibo name."

"What?!" Cao Guowei was stunned for a moment, "They registered the trademark?"

"Yes, Mr. Cao!" Wang Wei was very frustrated. "Now Qin Shaoyan said that we have to change our name within a certain period of time, otherwise he will sue us and even go to the United States."

Here we go again!

Cao Guowei's blood pressure suddenly rose. Qin Shaoyan was going too far!
"This is intolerable!" Cao Guowei slammed the table, "Qin Shaoyan is too hateful! I will never let him go!"

……

"A good man never suffers a loss in front of him." Chairman Wang Yan advised, "Now that things have come to this point, we have no choice but to change the name. We can't really go to court with Qin Shaoyan."

"If the lawsuit is brought to the United States, wouldn't it be a joke to outsiders?"

"Mr. Wang is right." Wang Wei quickly responded.

Sina is a U.S.-listed company. A lawsuit in the U.S. would directly affect its stock price, which would have a greater impact than losing a lawsuit in China.

Cao Guowei's face was full of anger. "What do you do for a living? Why didn't you check for risks in advance?"

"If Qin Shaoyan hadn't called to inform me, I wouldn't have known that the Weibo trademark had been registered. What are you doing every day?!"

"Wang Wei, you are the person in charge, what do you say should be done?"

"Alright, alright." Wang Yan came out to smooth things over. "It's already happened. There's no point in pursuing further responsibility."

"No one really expected this to happen. Let's first think about how to change the name and reduce the impact."

In another timeline, the term Weibo was first used by Sina, but they did not register a trademark to monopolize the term.

After that, there were competitors such as Tencent Weibo and Sohu Weibo. It was not until Sina Weibo won over many competitors that it developed the awareness of brand protection.

When well-known companies name their products, the first thing they consider is whether the name is appropriate, easy to remember, easy to read, and easy to market. Whether the product name has been registered is considered later.

For example, the name "WeChat" was registered by Chuangbo Asia Pacific in 2010 (Class 38, communication services), but Tencent launched the "WeChat" service in 2011. The court ultimately supported Tencent's continued use of the name on the grounds of "public interest" and "market order."

Therefore, even if a trademark is registered first, if the later user has already formed a huge market influence, the trademark rights of the earlier registrant may be restricted based on the balance of public interests.

Now that "Weibo" has been occupied by Qin Shaoyan, Sina has to change its name.

Cao Guowei didn't expect that Sina would suffer a small loss because of such an insignificant matter.

I was too careless. I didn't expect Qin Shaoyan to be like this... He is really thorough in doing things and never misses any opportunity.

Wang Wei sat trembling on the side. He was now trying to redeem himself for meritorious service, so he had to do his best to show off. "How about we call him Chao Ke?"

"Chaoke doesn't sound right, does it?" Wang Yan thought for a moment, "Why not just call it Boji?"

"Initially, blogs were considered online diaries in the United States. We call them blog diaries, which makes a certain distinction between them and blogs, but we can also see the connection between the two."

"Good! Good! Good!" Wang Wei immediately applauded. "As expected of Mr. Wang, you are very knowledgeable. The name Bo Ji is great! It has a profound meaning! And it's catchy!"

"Then let's stick with this name if no one objects." Wang Yan looked at the people below praising the new name, and turned to look at Cao Guowei, "Old Cao, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Alas, Mr. Wang." Cao Guowei felt a little ashamed, "I will try my best to remedy the impact caused this time."

"Just do your best, it's no big deal." Wang Yan continued to encourage, "The new business is developing very well, Qin Shaoyan's little tricks can't shake the overall situation."

"Yes, Mr. Wang is right." Cao Guowei immediately cheered up, "It's just a name change. Change it immediately and then relaunch the brand. Our battle with Weibo has just begun!"

……

"It's over!" Qin Shaoyan looked at the Rockets' score on TV and turned it off.

"What a shame, what a shame, Yao Ming played well this time." Zhang Pingyi also felt very sorry, "The Rockets' lineup still has problems."

Qin Shaoyan is not interested in the NBA, but it has been very popular in China in recent years, so he took a look to see the excitement.

He doesn't even know how many teams there are in the NBA, and the only player he knows on the court is Yao Ming.

"It's a pity that Sohu Sports has a partnership with the NBA, otherwise we could invite a few NBA stars to open Weibo accounts." Zhang Pingyi sighed, "It's not good to poach Mr. Zhang's people."

"NBA is a foreign country after all. If we want to develop Weibo, we still have to focus on the domestic market." Qin Shaoyan said calmly, "We have to base ourselves on the domestic Internet and gain a firm foothold before we can consider looking at the world." "When we become strong, I will come to you and you will come to me."

Zhang Pingyi was very surprised, "How is it possible that the mountain can grow legs and run over here?"

"Who knows?" Qin Shaoyan said confidently, "One day, our Weibo will become a social platform with more freedom of speech than the United States."

Zhang Pingyi felt that Qin Shaoyan was lost in a fantasy, so he ignored him and changed the subject directly, "The Sina Weibo account has changed its name to something like Bo Ji."

"Well, just change the name." Qin Shaoyan's reaction was very calm, "You see, this guy doesn't learn his lesson unless he's beaten."

"I called them and asked them to change their name, but they refused to listen. Now the whole Internet knows about it."

At first glance, Sina Weibo is just a name change, no big deal.

In fact, this incident had a very bad impact on Sina. Less than a week after its opening, it was singled out for criticism.

Moreover, Sina was the party in the wrong and dared not to retort. It just changed its name and admitted defeat in shame.

All the previous advertising materials had been printed, but they were all invalidated after the name change, which was a considerable loss.

The financial loss was a minor matter, but this incident made Sina a laughing stock for a while.

Several media outlets directly wrote articles criticizing that "plagiarism is rampant on the domestic Internet, and has even reached the point where people are not ashamed of it but proud of it. An industry that claims to be a high-tech industry actually relies entirely on plagiarism. Where is our innovation ability?"

"After copying from foreign countries, they now copy from China. What else can Internet companies do besides plagiarism? They are so arrogant in the face of warnings of infringement. Is this a disdain for morality or contempt for the law?"

"Internet companies have become dependent on plagiarism for their success, creating a situation where they seem to be unable to survive without plagiarism."

"A country or a nation that only plagiarizes cannot become strong. What kind of country is this? It needs to be determined!"

Qin Shaoyan really didn't ask the media to discredit Sina. It was they who took the initiative to write articles and set the tone.

Qin Shaoyan didn't understand this at first, but later he found that all media outlets that received funding from the "Agency for International Development" were professional workers who would only work if paid, and would never slander a certain Eastern superpower if not paid.

Some people who have been working illegally for years do not even receive any salary, and they continue to work hard even when they have no food.

So Qin Shaoyan discovered that people would automatically go hack without him having to spend money, so why should he spend money?
These people are swords!
However, these media soon stopped writing articles criticizing Sina, because Sina had already paid the protection fee wisely, so they naturally shifted their focus to looking for the next company to beg for alms.

"Since Sina has been silent for a while, let's take action." Qin Shaoyan said with a smile, "Let the foreign Internet celebrities show up and put out the promotional ads!"

“Go to Weibo and learn a foreign language!”

“Talk to the world’s influencers.”

"This will give Sina a good look." Zhang Pingyi also became excited.

However, Qin Shaoyan was not excited at all, and his reaction was still very calm, "Alas, actually I don't want to do this, but Sina is really not a good opponent to deal with."

"By the way, please find some time to meet with Director Hao Zhiqiang of the Olympic Committee. We need to hurry up and implement the cooperation between Weibo and the Olympic Games."

"Okay." Zhang Pingyi agreed immediately, "I'll do it right away. The sooner the better!"

After Zhang Pingyi left, Qin Shaoyan picked up his phone and sent a message to Chen Yao, "It's done, you can leave now."

……

When Chen Yao received this text message, she burst into tears. It was not easy, I finally waited for it.

Do you know how these months have passed?
I used to sit in an empty office every day, posting on Weibo when I had nothing to do. Now I finally don’t have to pretend anymore.

Chen Yao immediately started packing her things, stuffing her water cup, figurines, and laptop into her backpack, then she pushed her chair aside, quickly stood up, and walked out.

Liao Danni, who was watching TV series next to him, was a little surprised. "Sister Chen, where are you going?"

"I'm going home." Chen Yao left without looking back.

"What time is it? Didn't we just start work?" Liao Danni still looked confused.

"Work? What kind of work?!" Chen Yao stood at the door and smiled, "I don't have to go to work anymore. The company is closed down!"

Before Liao Danni could react, she repeated subconsciously, "The company went bankrupt..."

"What?!" Liao Danni jumped up from her chair, her voice changing in shock, "The company went bankrupt?!"

"Yes, the company has closed down!" Chen Yao repeated several times, "I don't need to come to work anymore."

"How can a company go bankrupt? How is it possible to go bankrupt?" Liao Danni was anxious, "Sister Chen, are you kidding me?"

Later, Liao Danni realized that Chen Yao didn't seem to be joking, and she jumped up and down, "Chen Yao, you liar! Where's my money? Where's my startup capital! We signed a contract!"

"My money! My money!" Liao Danni screamed and jumped, "I'm going to sue you!"

"Go ahead and sue me. I'm not the one who signed the contract with you. Go find the investors." Chen Yao wasn't afraid of this. She sneered and said, "What can I do if the investors withdraw their investment?"

"I just resigned from my previous company, you guys are a bunch of liars!" Liao Danni collapsed at that moment. If she hadn't seen Chen Yao posting on Weibo every day and enjoying her entrepreneurship, she would not have resigned from Sentinel Technology, which had good benefits, and plunged into this pit.

I could have worked at Sentinel Technology for two years, had a second child and continued working there for a few more years, but now it's all over.

Chen Yao had already run away by then, and all her phone calls were blocked, leaving Liao Danni alone crying in the empty office.

At this time, the door of the office was pushed open, and Belinda, who had just joined the company, walked in with some confusion, "Dani, why are you crying here alone?"

"Sister Bei, the company has closed down!" Liao Danni burst into tears, "What should I do now? I'm unemployed."

Belinda's face changed and she was a little panicked. She had just completed the entry procedures yesterday, and the company went bankrupt?
"How did the company go bankrupt?" Belinda asked unwillingly.

"Chen Yao said that the investors withdrew their capital!" Liao Danni said bitterly, "She is a liar!"

Belinda felt a little dizzy at this moment. The investor actually withdrew his investment... She could never encounter such a thing.

However, she quickly calmed down, said a few perfunctory words to Liao Danni, turned around and left.

After leaving the company, she immediately took out her cell phone and called, "Hello, Mr. Wang, when can I start working at Sina? I want to complete the formalities today."

……

"Okay, I'll talk to the HR department and you come over." Wang Wei said casually.

He has no time to care about Qin Shaoyan's former secretary now. He has more important things to do.

"Get ready right away and authenticate the foreign influencer accounts!" Wang Wei warned seriously, "Don't make any mistakes and don't leave anyone out."

"As long as there is a move on Weibo, we have to follow suit!"

"I want to see whether the foreign influencers on Weibo are more powerful or the foreign influencers on our blog are more appealing."

Wang Wei was full of confidence at this time, because these foreign Internet celebrities were all recruited by him personally, and they were all double-celebrity Internet celebrities from Facebook and Tumblr.

(End of this chapter)