You call this entrepreneurship?

Chapter 519

"fifth……"

Before Qin Shaoyan could say the fifth point, Jobs on the opposite side could no longer sit still. He stood up and said excitedly, "NO! NO! NO!"

"Your conditions are too extreme. We will never agree to them."

Qin Shaoyan's heart was calm, and he looked at the other party very calmly, "Then there is no room for negotiation. Let's continue to wait for the court's decision and continue to apply for a sales ban."

Tim Cook quickly said, "Mr. Qin, what we mean is whether some conditions can be discussed. After all, some conditions are too harsh."

"For example, the third point is that Apple phones must have your company's software built in. This is a condition we will never agree to. Doing so would violate U.S. law."

Tim Cook then added, "The first and second ones are negotiable."

Jobs said stiffly, "The fourth one is not allowed either. We cannot give this whitelist privilege to any company. All software on Apple phones must be reviewed."

"So, only Apple's own software can be built-in software and enjoy whitelist treatment?" Qin Shaoyan asked back.

Tim Cook explained: "The software we built in are all common tools, and these software have been internally reviewed. We must ensure the security of the entire mobile phone operating system, which is also for the privacy of users."

Qin Shaoyan glanced at the other person with a half-smile, "Oh, privacy and security, right? This is understandable."

"But I only made four requests in total, and you rejected two of them."

"And I haven't even had time to say my fifth point yet."

Tim Cook gestured, "Please continue."

"The fifth article is that your company must publicly apologize, admit the infringement, and make compensation." Qin Shaoyan looked at Jobs and said.

"No," Jobs said angrily, "We can't apologize. We didn't infringe on anyone's rights."

"In that case, let the court decide." Qin Shaoyan said as he stood up and said, "Goodbye."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Tim Cook was also anxious, and quickly stood up to block Qin Shaoyan's way, "We can still continue to talk, Mr. Qin, everything can be discussed."

"What are you discussing? I made five requests and you rejected three, especially the fifth one, which is the most important." Qin Shaoyan asked loudly, "I doubt that you have any sincerity in negotiation. Then there is no need for us to talk about reconciliation. Let's see you in court."

"Mr. Qin, we can't agree to all your requests." Tim Cook glanced at Jobs and kept signaling him to speak with his eyes.

"Mr. Qin," Jobs said after a long silence, "I'm sorry, your conditions are too harsh. We can't fully agree to them."

"We can agree to part of it conditionally."

"Then what can you agree to?" Qin Shaoyan asked back.

"Well, the first one is fine." Tim Cook said quickly, "Welcome Mr. Qin to buy Apple's stock."

"Second, there is no problem with that. We can sign such a document, but the premise is that it cannot be made public."

"As for the third and fourth points, built-in software is really not an option, but we can prioritize reviewing your company's software and simplify the review process."

“This ensures that your company’s software can be available in a shorter time.”

Qin Shaoyan listened to Tim Cook's conditions expressionlessly, "What about the fifth point? Do you want to apologize?"

"Apologize..." Tim Cook glanced at Jobs and said hesitantly, "I can apologize in person now, but it's better not to make this public. As for compensation, we can discuss it."

"No." Qin Shaoyan shook his head. "I won't accept a private apology. You don't have to pay compensation, but you must apologize publicly!"

“No, that’s impossible,” Jobs said immediately.

"I can do without the third and fourth clauses, but you must make a public apology." Qin Shaoyan emphasized again coldly, "This is a necessary condition. If you refuse now, then after the court's ruling, you will have to make a public apology, plus a huge amount of compensation."

"You can't avoid this matter. This is a matter of principle!"

Qin Shaoyan said in a resounding voice, "If you don't agree, we'll just wait for the court's decision. Goodbye!"

After saying that, Qin Shaoyan stood up and left. Tim Cook was a little at a loss, while Jobs looked depressed and sat there unable to say a word.

The first negotiation between the two parties ended in a bad mood.

Zhang Pingyi followed Qin Shaoyan out, a little hesitant, "Let's not talk about it?"

"No hurry, just play with them." Qin Shaoyan changed his previous tense attitude and became calm and calm. "Negotiations require a balance between tension and relaxation. Give them some time to think about it first."

"Which one is better, money or face?"

Zhang Pingyi nodded, and then said seriously: "I think they will never accept a public apology. Why don't we change it, even if it means asking for more compensation."

"No, the fifth point must be adhered to." Qin Shaoyan smiled slightly.

"Why?" Zhang Pingyi was very surprised.

"Because the fifth point is not the point." Qin Shaoyan patted Zhang Pingyi on the shoulder, "Negotiation is to use conditions that the other party cannot accept to force them to accept other acceptable conditions."

"Ah?" Zhang Pingyi then realized that Qin Shaoyan's real purpose was several other conditions.

"But your other clauses seem to be of different strengths." Zhang Pingyi was a little confused, "Especially the second clause, the written guarantee of non-infringement, what's the deep meaning of it?"

"Of course there is a deeper meaning. This will make it easier for Apple to continue copying my design in the future." Qin Shaoyan smiled meaningfully.

"Huh?" Zhang Pingyi was even more confused. "You really want to peel the skin off the apple this time. If you have any brains, you won't copy it again."

"That's hard to say." Qin Shaoyan smiled.

"I don't understand. Your phone was developed in secret, and the team has taken confidentiality measures. How could the design be leaked?" Zhang Pingyi was puzzled. "If it's a coincidence, it's too coincidental. How can the appearance be exactly the same?"

"This is probably God's will." Qin Shaoyan said calmly, "Anyway, judging from the results, Apple has been identified as a plagiarist. They can't clear themselves from this."

"If they want to change this, they have to spend money, a lot of money to bribe me."

……

The negotiations between the two sides were put on hold on the first day of the meeting, but on the second day Tim Cook couldn't wait to start another negotiation.

"Mr. Qin, we discussed it." Tim Cook immediately put forward the conditions, "We are willing to pay $1.5 million in compensation and apologize in person, but the apology cannot be made public."

"We can also assist you with buying stocks, and we can also make concessions on whitelist review. We will do our best to provide convenience for your company's software."

"And a written guarantee that you will not infringe on my rights again." Qin Shaoyan said lightly.

"No problem, we can sign it." Tim Cook nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Jobs sat aside, saying nothing, and tacitly agreed to Tim Cook's negotiation terms.

"No, I refuse to accept it." Qin Shaoyan said firmly again, "Everything else can be compromised and negotiated, but a public apology is not acceptable."

"Mr. Qin." Tim Cook sighed helplessly, "How about we add another 50 million US dollars in compensation?"

"No!" Qin Shaoyan shook his head. "What about 250 million? 300 million?" Tim Cook kept raising the price.

"No, you don't understand." Qin Shaoyan said angrily, "The patent for the mobile phone shell is my hard work. It is a design that I spent countless nights and inspiration on!"

"I refuse to talk anymore unless you apologize!"

"Farewell!"

Just like that, Qin Shaoyan interrupted the negotiation again. This time, before leaving, Qin Shaoyan shook hands with Jobs and Tim Cook, and only left the last words, "Let's wait for the court's decision."

……

Since two consecutive negotiations failed to produce any results, Jobs was not in a hurry to hold a third meeting.

Apple has also gone quiet, seemingly discussing more countermeasures.

Qin Shaoyan has been sitting back and waiting leisurely for Apple's third offer.

Two days later, Qin Shaoyan met an unexpected person.

George West.

"Hi, John." George came up and gave him a warm hug.

"George, how are you doing lately?" Qin Shaoyan laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "How is Gabe Newell doing lately?"

"It's Left 4 Dead. He's been very busy lately." George said casually, "The Steam platform is developing very fast now. We are considering how to expand its scale."

“Thanks to your design and solutions, more and more game studios and independent game developers are joining our platform.”

"Now Steam can make a lot of money just from taking a cut of sales."

"That's good, that's good." Qin Shaoyan was very happy. "This is good for game developers. They can get more income, and we can make money too. It's a win-win situation."

"Well, win-win!" George hesitated for a moment and said embarrassedly, "John, I came here this time for something else."

"What's the matter? Tell me." Qin Shaoyan said with a smile, "We are friends, there is nothing wrong with talking about it."

"It's about Apple." George rubbed his hands nervously. "They asked me to intercede for them. You know, I'm not good at this."

"Yeah, I understand, I understand!" Qin Shaoyan nodded, "It's okay, I'm just curious about how they found you."

George was the first friend Qin Shaoyan met in the United States. It was through his introduction that Qin Shaoyan met Gabe Newell, and the story of how he made his first pot of gold came about.

Moreover, George helped Qin Shaoyan a lot in the early stage of his entrepreneurship in the United States. He handled the legal procedures and introduced him to Fred, the current CEO of Facebook.

This gaming geek and Qin Shaoyan have a lot in common, and their relationship is very close.

Apple is really powerful enough to find George to intercede.

It seems that the other party has checked Qin Shaoyan's background.

"Apple agreed to some of our conditions, so I came here." George said embarrassedly, "Actually, I didn't want to come, but Gabe Newell, he... you know."

Gabe Newell is even more of a otaku, so he was probably too embarrassed to speak up, so he had to let George speak.

"Damn those people at Apple." Qin Shaoyan sighed, "They really know how to find people. What do you think they are going to do?"

George was stunned for a moment, then he was overjoyed, "They want to continue talking to you, they are very sincere."

"I originally refused to communicate with them." Qin Shaoyan shook his head and said with a wry smile, "But for the sake of my friends, I agreed to them."

"Thank you! Thank you!" George shook hands with Qin Shaoyan excitedly, "G Fat Gay and I owe you a favor."

Because of their friendship, Jobs and Tim Cook finally met Qin Shaoyan for the third time.

Tim Cook immediately offered a condition, "Mr. Qin, we can increase the compensation, and we can also help you with some small favors."

"For example?" Qin Shaoyan asked back in confusion.

"For example, if Mr. Qin's software encounters a competitor's product, we can be more strict in the review." Tim Cook hinted, "You know."

"What do you mean?" Qin Shaoyan pretended to be confused and said, "Are you saying that you can help me prevent my competitor's software from entering the Apple mobile phone system?"

“No, no, no, we are not blocking them. We are just making the review more stringent.” Tim Cook emphasized again, “We will not reject other companies’ software.”

Qin Shaoyan pondered for a moment and shook his head, "This is not a good idea. I don't think it will be of any use."

After all, the current Apple phones were not the later Apple phones, so the conditions proposed by Tim Cook were unattractive.

Jobs couldn't help but ask, "So what do you want?"

Qin Shaoyan thought for a moment and said, "Originally, I wanted to propose some conditions, but the conditions you just mentioned inspired me."

"How about this, how about Apple's software review rights in China?"

"NO!" Jobs subconsciously wanted to refuse, and then added, "This is not good, Qin, this is not good."

Tim Cook hurriedly said: "But your people can join the review team, how about that?"

Qin Shaoyan thought for a while with a serious expression, "Then my people must have a reliable voice, and you must ensure this."

Tim Cook finally breathed a sigh of relief at this point, "OK, there is no problem with this, we can continue to discuss the details."

It was not easy. They racked their brains for several days and finally came up with conditions that impressed Qin Shaoyan.

As long as we can talk, everything is easy.

"I don't have to insist on a public apology, but a private apology is inevitable," Qin Shaoyan replied.

"No problem, as for the compensation..."

"We can negotiate for compensation, as long as you deliver on the terms we agreed on before." Qin Shaoyan interrupted the other party, "Especially the second clause, Apple must make a written guarantee that it will no longer infringe on our design patents."

"Moreover, the penalties must be large, and this is not negotiable."

Jobs thought for a while and nodded, "Okay."

Tim Cook also nodded, "No problem, all of these can be agreed to."

"Okay, then let's set the compensation at 200 million US dollars. This is my final concession." Qin Shaoyan said slowly.

Tim Cook said tentatively: "One more thing, Mr. Qin."

"what?"

"We should discuss how to issue a settlement statement," Tim Cook said carefully, "which can both protect Mr. Qin's rights and interests and subtly explain that Apple did not plagiarize."

(End of this chapter)