You call this entrepreneurship?

Chapter 518 Settlement Terms with Apple
Under the witness of Qin Shaoyan, YP Technology and Giant Network drafted a gambling agreement, and then both parties signed it quickly after the lawyer's review.

Liu Wei, the vice president of Giant Network, who received the gambling agreement, was beaming with joy. He shook Qin Shaoyan's hand enthusiastically and said, "Thank you, President Qin, for your mediation and facilitating this business negotiation."

"You're welcome, Mr. Liu." Qin Shaoyan said calmly, "I hope that the two of you can unite sincerely, make money in harmony, and do business together."

"Of course!" Liu Wei nodded with a smile.

After signing, Chen Yuanzong was like a deflated ball. He sat in the chair without saying a word.

When everyone was toasting champagne to celebrate just now, Chen Yuanzong did not join in.

I was clearly the one who signed the contract, but this noisy scene didn't fit in with me, as if I were an outsider.

His only purpose in coming here was to sign and sell his shares. He had no say or decision on other matters.

When Qin Shaoyan walked in front of him, he finally reacted and quickly stood up, "Boss Qin."

"Sit down." Qin Shaoyan sat down next to Chen Yuanzong and sighed, "I know you are not satisfied with today's gambling agreement, but this is the best solution for you."

"Don't leave any evidence behind when you do things, or else if someone catches you, you'll be at the mercy of them."

"I understand, I understand." Chen Yuanzong said in panic, "If it weren't for President Qin's mediation this time, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to keep the entire company."

"Being able to sign this bet agreement now is the best outcome."

Qin Shaoyan was very relieved. "It's good that you understand. In fact, you are not at a loss. Giant Network's stock will definitely rise after its listing. When the time comes, you can find an opportunity to cash out and you will be financially free."

"With money in hand, you will have the confidence to continue investing in business or to enjoy life in retirement."

"I...I think it's better to retire early." Chen Yuanzong sighed, "Business is dangerous."

This time, it was all thanks to Qin Shaoyan, otherwise I would have been swallowed up by the other party without leaving anything behind.

He doesn't know whether the gambling agreement he has now can be successfully fulfilled in the end, and he is very afraid that the other party will cheat after losing.

However, with Qin Shaoyan as a guarantee, Giant Network should not dare to act recklessly.

Giant Network promised to deliver 200 million yuan within half a year, and now Chen Yuanzong is counting on this money.

Liu Wei hurried back to Shanghai with the gambling agreement to report to his boss, while Chen Yuanzong immediately went into hiding and did not even dare to return to his residence in Beijing.

After the two groups of people left, Zhang Pingyi said with emotion: "This matter has caused a lot of trouble, and you have to come forward to settle it."

Qin Shaoyan snorted coldly, "If I wasn't afraid that their actions would affect Facebook, I wouldn't bother with such nonsense."

"Who do you think will win this bet in the end?" Zhang Pingyi asked casually.

"Who will win in the bet?" Qin Shaoyan glanced at Zhang Pingyi. "I don't know who will win, but most of the cases I've seen are losers, and it's a mess."

"No way?" Zhang Pingyi was shocked. "How can a gambling agreement result in a lose-lose situation? This doesn't make sense."

"There are not so many truths in the world." Qin Shaoyan smiled.

It seems that one party who signs a bet agreement will win big, while the losing party will pay a huge price.

But many times both parties lose all their money and no one gains any advantage.

However, when signing the gambling agreement, both parties felt that they had the upper hand and could gain benefits, and even felt that it was a win-win situation.

Liu Wei returned to the Shanghai Stock Exchange with the gambling agreement and reported the results directly to Shi Yuzhu.

"With this 50% stake, plus the shares held by Liu Yuanrui, we already control 75% of the shares."

Looking at the bet agreement, Shi Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, this worry has been resolved. Now we are fully preparing for the listing. We will go to Nasdaq to ring the bell on New Year's Day this year!"

YP Technology is a very important part of Giant Network's listing. Of course, its biggest role is not in boosting the stock price, but its overseas business.

With this overseas business, many things become very convenient, especially capital transactions.

A lot of money can be invested into this poker game platform operated by Facebook.

Once Facebook gets the anti-gambling bill done, the role of YP technology will be raised to an unparalleled level.

At that time, it is no longer a cash cow or a goose that lays golden eggs, but a money printing machine.

Some inconvenient money can become legitimate funds after a round of circulation.

This is also the reason why he insisted on taking over YP Technology, because YP Technology is really a very useful tool.

Of course, this is just a beautiful vision for the future.

Shi Yuzhu must first solve the company's listing issue, which is the top priority.

……

Just when Giant Network was actively preparing for its IPO, Qin Shaoyan had already flown to the United States with his people.

His trip to the United States was, on the one hand, to sell his remaining Facebook shares, and on the other hand, to resolve a lawsuit that had lasted for a year.

"Apple Inc. Design Patent Infringement Case"

After the Weibo press conference on January 2007, 1, Qin Shaoyan revealed for the first time on Weibo the design of the "smart phone" that he was secretly developing.

But just a few days later, when Apple CEO Steve Jobs exhibited the latest "iPhone" sample at a new product launch conference, many people were surprised to find that the appearance of the iPhone was exactly the same as the design exposed by Qin Shaoyan, almost without any difference.

This incident immediately caused an uproar, with both sides confronting each other on social media, bringing a huge wave of popularity to Weibo.

Although Weibo became quickly known to everyone in the early days, it had a lot to do with the tacit cooperation with Apple on social media, but one thing is for another.

You objectively helped me, so I can say thank you, but you subjectively plagiarized and this matter is not over yet.

The two sides exchanged insults on the Internet for a month, and finally Qin Shaoyan chose to sue Apple in the United States, and the two sides began a long "appearance patent lawsuit."

Apple was shocked and angry about this sudden lawsuit. Jobs placed a heavy bet on the new product, the iPhone, and he would not allow his product to fail.

Moreover, the appearance of the Apple mobile phone has undergone several years of polishing and careful design. It is his painstaking work and has been exposed in public in front of reporters.

So there was no way Jobs would admit failure. That would not only mean giving up the appearance of the iPhone and redesigning it, but the time and money lost would be incalculable.

What he could not tolerate the most was that if Apple really changed the appearance design of the mobile phone, wouldn’t it be admitting that it was plagiarizing?
This lawsuit involves interests and dignity, and we must not lose.

Qin Shaoyan was not to be outdone. He commissioned TNB to hire several famous lawyers, even including a law firm that had cooperated with Disney.

They spent a huge amount of money to build a luxurious team of lawyers and directly confronted Apple.

In one year, the court held nearly 20 sessions, and the two sides were locked in a bitter dispute. The two sides engaged in more than a dozen heated debates in court, and Apple produced photos of its own design sample prototypes, as many as a dozen, to show the court its design process.

TNB's luxurious legal team also produced design drafts and the outer shell of the sample prototype. They also opened an envelope with a postmark in court and took out the same prototype photos from it, using the time of the postmark to prove that Qin Shaoyan's company designed the sample earlier than Apple.

From the design sketch to the sample shell display, we can also clearly see Qin Shaoyan's design ideas and evolution process.

In short, there are differences between the prototype samples designed by Qin Shaoyan and Apple’s prototype samples, but the final product design is exactly the same.

When TNB's lawyer took out the stamped envelope, Apple was completely confused. They had never expected this.

TNB has made a patent offer to Apple, willing to license its patent portfolio at a price of US$30 per mobile phone and US$40 per tablet. If Apple is willing to use its own patent portfolio for cross-licensing, TNB can also give Apple a 20% discount.

In addition to this condition, TNB filed a claim for $3 million against Apple.

TNB claimed to reporters that it has a "zero tolerance" policy for infringement of patent designs. No matter who the opponent is, it will fight to the end and will never let others use its designs to make a profit.

At the same time, TNB also announced that they will apply to the US court for a sales ban to prohibit the sale of "Apple phones".

Whether in terms of evidence or public opinion, Apple is at a disadvantage.

Jobs was furious and often lost his temper in the company.

But there was no point in losing his temper, as his lawyer had already told him in advance that the chances of winning the patent lawsuit were too slim, and the best way was to reach a settlement and resolve the matter as soon as possible.

This is already a very euphemistic way of saying it. In fact, the lawyer was telling him that there was no hope and he should just wait to die.

No one can tolerate the fact that the product you designed with great effort has become someone else's patent, and you have to pay compensation to that person.

Apple really can't afford to delay any longer because there is no hope of winning the lawsuit, and TNB is still applying for a sales ban, which is the most fatal thing.

After Tim Cook's persuasion, Jobs finally figured it out and invited Qin Shaoyan, hoping to have a face-to-face meeting with him to resolve the misunderstanding.

……

After arriving in the United States, Qin Shaoyan rested for two days, and then went to Facebook and TNB as usual to inspect and gave some gifts to the employees.

Then he heard from his secretary Xiao Chen that Apple CEO Steve Jobs had arrived at the hotel where Qin Shaoyan was staying and requested a meeting.

When Qin Shaoyan returned to the hotel, he saw Zhang Pingyi entertaining two guests as soon as he entered the room.

The three of them sat on the sofa, greeting each other very politely but with a sense of distance, chatting casually while drinking coffee.

After Qin Shaoyan came in, Zhang Pingyi stood up and said, "Boss Qin."

The two people sitting opposite him stood up and turned to look at Qin Shaoyan.

He recognized these two people at a glance. One was the famous Apple CEO and father of the iPhone, Steve Jobs. The other was also very familiar. He was Jobs's trusted aide, the future Apple CEO, Tim Cook.

Jobs took the initiative to extend his hand, his expression a little stiff, "Hello, Mr. Qin."

"Hello, Mr. Jobs." Qin Shaoyan shook hands with both of them, and then sat on the sofa opposite.

"I thought you two wouldn't come to visit so soon." Qin Shaoyan said with a smile.

“I hope that though it can resolve some of the…” Jobs paused, finally finding the word, “trouble.”

"Trouble?" Qin Shaoyan smiled, "I don't think this is a trouble between us."

Tim Cook quickly added: "It should be said that there are differences and disputes."

"NONO, Mr. Cook." Qin Shaoyan corrected with a serious face, "This is not a disagreement or dispute."

"I never thought there was any disagreement or dispute between us. The fact is obvious that you infringed on the appearance design of my mobile phone."

"Or rather, plagiarism."

"NO!" Jobs could not help but retort, "You are slandering us. We did not plagiarize. The appearance of the iPhone was painstakingly designed by our designers. How could you shamelessly steal it away?"

"Shameful?" Qin Shaoyan's face turned cold. "Mr. Jobs, I was very restrained when I used the word plagiarism just now."

"I think it's more accurate to describe it as stealing. The evidence we submitted has shown that our design was earlier than yours. How can you shamelessly say that I stole it?"

"In our opinion, you, Apple, are the robber, stealing our design in a despicable and shameless way."

Jobs was so angry that his blood pressure skyrocketed. He clenched his fists tightly and stared at Qin Shaoyan.

Qin Shaoyan looked at the other party calmly and fearlessly, and at the same time moved closer to Zhang Pingyi.

"Hey, gentlemen." Tim Cook quickly came out to smooth things over. "There must be a misunderstanding here, Mr. Qin. We have no intention of questioning your design and the evidence you submitted."

"But our designers can also prove that they did not plagiarize, it was just a coincidence."

"That's too much of a coincidence." Qin Shaoyan smiled faintly, "Whether it is a coincidence or not, let the court decide."

"Mr. Qin, there is no need for both of us to suffer losses." Tim Cook said sincerely, "A protracted lawsuit will hurt both sides."

"It doesn't matter. I can afford it." Qin Shaoyan said calmly, "My product is still under development. I can wait another three years."

But Apple couldn't wait. Faced with such a situation, Jobs knew he couldn't act on impulse, so he said bluntly, "How about we reconcile? What are your terms?"

Tim Cook also said: "We can talk about it, it's just money."

Qin Shaoyan shook his head. "This is not a matter of money. I am not short of money."

Why do you want such a high claim if you are not short of money? And you also want us to pay patent design fees.

But the situation was stronger than people, and even Jobs had to bow his head.

"What do you want?" Jobs asked with a frown.

"Gentlemen, our time is precious, so I won't beat around the bush." ​​Qin Shaoyan said seriously, "In addition to the $300 million in compensation, Apple must agree to a few things for me."

"First, I want to buy some Apple stock."

"Second, Apple must guarantee in writing that similar infringements of design patents will not occur again in the future."

"Third, I hope that mobile phones sold in China in the future will have our company's software built in."

"Fourth, our company's software will have the privilege of being whitelisted and exempt from review on Apple phones in the future."

"fifth……"

(End of this chapter)