Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

He explained the current progress of the case and the evidence they had, reiterating that Qingniao had used legal and complete evidence to formally involve the authorities in this egregious illegal incident. This included physical samples of "Stories of the People," a content infringement comparison table, a summary of Qian Youde's witness testimony, and the acceptance receipt from the Press and Publication Bureau. These provided a solid legal foundation and factual basis for public reporting.

He saw a reporter looking down at the materials he had received from Lu Hai, because everything he had said was written down there, every word carefully weighed and discussed repeatedly. Not too much, not too little; the bait had to have a scent, but not a foul one.

"You can take the materials with you," Han Fei said. "We have used pseudonyms for the witnesses in the materials, so even if you encounter the witnesses in your future investigations, please do not directly quote their real names in your reports."

Normally, at such briefings, he, as a layman, wouldn't need to remind reporters to abide by journalistic ethics and legal regulations. However, in order to make them understand that Qingniao is not only protecting rights, but also responsibly protecting all those who cooperate with the investigation, such reminders are very important.

"President Han, you just mentioned that 'Stories of Ordinary People' is an illegal publication. Was this conclusion reached by you or by the relevant authorities?"

This was a question posed by a reporter from Wenhui Daily. Lu Hai leaned forward, reminding them that the Q&A session hadn't started yet, but Han Fei shook his head.

"That's a very good question," Han Fei said into the microphone. "When the Press and Publication Bureau received our complaint materials, they conducted a preliminary review of the sample of 'Stories of the People.' The conclusion was that it is a typical illegal publication without proper documentation. This conclusion is written in the remarks column of the receipt; you can refer to page three."

Several reporters simultaneously flipped through the materials.

"Of course, the final appraisal opinion can only be issued after the legal procedures are completed. But according to Article 62 of the Regulations on Publishing Administration, the mere fact that it has 'no publication number' is sufficient to determine that it is an illegal publication."

While the reporters stopped talking and taking notes, Lu Hai quickly announced that a Q&A session would be held, and the reporters became lively.

The Wenhui Daily reporter continued, "Then what is the legal validity of your content infringement comparison table?"

"The purpose of the comparison table is to illustrate the facts, not to replace forensic identification. We put it in the materials bag to let you all know that 'People's Stories' is not only illegally published, but also systematically plagiarizes our content. As for whether it constitutes infringement under the law, that needs to be determined by the court. The focus of our communication today is primarily on the two points of illegal publication and aggressive distribution. These two points are clear facts, the evidence is conclusive, and there is no room for dispute."

Editor Zhou from Xinmin Evening News said, "President Han, you just mentioned violent distribution, and there are witness testimonies in the materials. But are the witnesses willing to testify in court, or are they only willing to write written statements?"

Before Han Fei could answer, the other reporters had already started taking notes.

"The witness is currently only willing to provide written testimony," Han Fei said. "The reasons are complex, involving the witness's personal safety and the safety of the business. However, the witness is willing to bear legal responsibility for the authenticity of this testimony. We have attached a copy of the witness's ID card and fingerprint to the materials, so that the witness can confirm it again when questioned by law enforcement if needed later."

"Have you considered the possibility of the witness being threatened? The materials state that the other side is involved in organized violent distribution. The witness is currently willing to provide written testimony, but if the other side finds out he is a witness, will he be able to withstand it?"

Han Fei looked directly into the reporter's eyes, biting his lower lip: "I may not be able to give a satisfactory answer to this question. I can only say that we had thorough communication with the witness before deciding to go public. The witness is aware of the risks and is willing to bear them. What we can do is to provide support to the witness as much as possible within the bounds of law and morality. As for your question, that's beyond our control. That's why we're proceeding with legal proceedings as quickly as possible and holding this briefing. The longer it drags on, the greater the risk to the witness. Um, please go on."

"I'm a reporter from the *Longguo News and Publishing Journal*, and I'd like to ask an industry-level question. Does Qingniao's recent experience indicate that rural distribution channels have become a major problem area for illegal publications? We'd like to know if you've compiled statistics on how many similar illegal publications, besides *People's Stories*, are using the same methods to seize market share?"

Han Fei watched the man's lips move, thinking that this was a question with a clear element of "digging a hole" and "leading." If he directly admitted that rural channels were the hardest hit, it would seem like he was attacking the entire market environment and exposing the weaknesses in his business strategy. If he said he hadn't done the statistics, it would make him seem unprofessional or indifferent to industry issues.

He paused for a moment and answered the question from four perspectives. He first acknowledged that rural distribution channels, due to high demand and weak supervision, were indeed vulnerable to illegal publications, but refused to use the term "severely affected area," emphasizing that there were also law-abiding operators and ordinary readers there.

He then stated that as a publishing institution, Qingniao currently only has concrete evidence and has initiated the reporting process for the case of "Stories of the People." He added that other similar publications he had heard of had not been verified and he would not publicly name them. He firmly asserted that "Stories of the People" was not an isolated case, but a typical example of a "black market publication," and that once its model is successful, imitators will quickly emerge, posing a dangerous trend.

"Finally, I would like to pledge that Qingniao is willing to share its evidence and experience with the relevant authorities to assist in establishing a faster identification and response mechanism. We are not just fighting a lawsuit, but participating in a protracted battle to maintain order in the grassroots cultural market. Thank you."

A buzz of whispers arose among the reporters. Han Fei wondered if his answer was too long. Although the four levels were logically sound, the reporters probably couldn't digest so much at once.

The reporter from the Dragon Kingdom News and Publishing Journal asked another question.

"President Han, what role did your cooperation with China Mobile play in this incident? I mean, if Qingniao didn't have China Mobile's backing, would you still be so high-profile in protecting your rights?"

Han Fei smiled slightly, thinking that he had finally found a question that would allow him to smoothly incorporate the bombshell news of "winning the bid" into his answer. It was not a proactive disclosure, nor was there any suspicion of deliberately showing off or hyping it up. He only needed to state the facts calmly.