Video Game Empire

IBM's counterattack came very quickly and fiercely. [For more wonderful novels, please visit] But ibm company's patent lawsuit against Aikang company, although it is not expected by everyone, but it is not beyond everyone's expectations. The patent stick is one of the most common and effective means for big companies in the IT industry to fight against competitors.

"Among the 7 patents that IBM sued us for infringement, 5 involved -3 computers, and 2 involved -1 and -2 computers!" Ke Lilun briefly introduced the general situation to Li Xuan along the way.

After Li Xuan arrived at the central headquarters of Dongfang Electronics, Han Peng, the chairman of Aikang, was already waiting in his office. He had just returned from London by plane, and he would fly to the United States soon after reporting the situation as Li Xuan.

"What is the specific situation? How is Aikang going to deal with it?" Li Xuan didn't have much nervous expression on his face, but asked with a relaxed expression.

"It is said that ibm has a large team of intellectual property lawyers, and the annual cost of supporting them exceeds 100 million US dollars. These people must always reflect their own value! The new personal computer products of ibm have not been able to reverse the outside world this time. I have a bad impression of ibm's arrogance, bloat and inefficiency in recent years. Instead, they have been criticized again, and they will naturally find a way to divert the public's attention!" Han Peng shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Aikon is a company that is currently in the limelight in the personal computer market. As a result, it was attacked by ibm as a leading rafter.

"How likely are we to lose the case for those allegedly infringing patents, and how much impact will it have on Aikang?" Li Xuan continued to ask.

"Among these 7 patents, the -1 and -2 patents are not very important core patents. Even if you lose the case, you will only pay a fine of one or two million dollars. IBM is mainly targeting -3 computers. 5 Two of the patents relate to the motherboard data bus and circuit interface, and the remaining three are concentrated in the architectural instruction set of the erm-1 processor.

For the first two patents, we obtained the technology authorization of similar patents from Bell Labs. Can bypass ibm's patent trap. As for the instruction set patents of the last three erm-1 processors, our technicians found that their arguments were not rigorous and there were many loopholes to catch based on the complaint materials provided by ibm. Moreover, we have applied for dozens of new patents for the unique instruction set for the erm architecture, and we are confident enough to convince the US Patent and Trademark Office to reject the infringement claim of ibm! "Han Peng said confidently.

When the product is launched, Aikang will make a detailed list of all the patents that may be involved, and then demining them one by one. Although it is impossible to guarantee that there will be absolutely no infringement, at least there will be no major infringement incidents that will lead to the forced introduction of their own products into the market.

Therefore, ibm's proposal to prohibit the sale of Aikon's series of computers in the US market is unlikely to be supported by the court. Li Xuan believes. Well-paid intellectual property lawyers at ibm don't know this. However, they still made such unreasonable demands to the court, in order to intimidate consumers to stop purchasing the series computers, a personal computer product with potential legal risks.

As long as consumers are affected and stop buying icon's products before the lawsuit is over, there may be some people who choose ibm's machines as computer replacements, and their goals are achieved.

"It seems that it should not be a big problem! IBM's infringement allegations against the erm instruction set are pure nonsense. Now the (reduced instruction set) architecture is still in the early stage of development, and the relevant patents held by all companies are very rare.

Although ibm was the first company to propose an architecture, we were developing the erm instruction set. Specifically avoided those patents they hold! "Li Xuan said disapprovingly.

It can be said that the erm architecture was developed under the impetus of his golden finger, and he naturally knew the whole situation well. The reason why Li Xuan chose the camp at that time, rather than the (complex instruction set) camp, the most important consideration is that the architecture has just begun to develop. Big companies have not yet laid down dense minefields, and everyone is still on the same starting line. If it chooses to develop an architecture, it is difficult for Dongfang Electronics to circumvent the intensive patent barriers set up by companies such as IBM and Intel. It is easy to cause infringement if you are not careful.

There are generally two purposes for companies to apply for patents. The first is to protect their technology from being abused by others. This is defensive. But there is another kind of purpose that is offensive, like IBM invests heavily in research and development every year. Its laboratory and Bell's laboratory together are known as the two most powerful technology research and development centers in the United States.

IBM's technicians submit thousands or even tens of thousands of new patent applications every year. Most of these patents are not used by IBM itself, but they are often used to accuse others of infringement. The annual revenue of ibm's patent fees paid by other companies is as high as hundreds of millions of dollars, which is definitely a very profitable business.

"ibm is a little too anxious, the timing of their choice this time is actually not very appropriate! Our -3 and his machine have just finished the arena, and ibm will sue us immediately, which is easy to leave a sense of loss. Bad impression!

Moreover, the US Department of Justice has just concluded its anti-monopoly investigation of IBM. We only need a little guidance to allow the media to once again raise the debate on whether IBM is suspected of using technology monopoly to suppress competitors! "This is not just Han Peng's view, but the unified view of the top executives of Aikang, and the current situation is actually very favorable for them.

"Series computers are all sources of profit for Aikon, and a stand-alone computer is just an inconspicuous small business for IBM. Naturally, it is impossible for them to be like us, who have thoughtful and reconsidered every little detail!

Even if the sales of IBM's machines can be doubled on the current basis, the annual sales will not exceed 200 million US dollars, accounting for only 1% of IBM's current annual output value of 20 billion.

For ibm mainframe sales, an ordinary order is worth several million dollars, and a 10% service fee can be charged every year in the future. If they can take on a large order from the government department, one order may be as high as hundreds of millions of dollars! Therefore, most of the people in ibm are naturally dismissive of the machine and will not have much enthusiasm! "Li Xuan pointed out the root cause of the problem.

"Compared to IBM, the blue giant, our Ikon company is still just a toddler! A child bullied by a giant is always the most vulnerable to the public's sympathy and support! The company has detailed detailed information. The research plan, and then prepare to start relevant public opinion guidance in the United States!

And we may not be able to turn bad things into good things, just relying on this patent case to carry out a new round of hype! Regardless of whether the final judgment of the court will reject all the demands of ibm, as long as the words of Aikang and ibm can be placed together on an equal footing and kept appearing in the eyes of the American public, we will win!

Even paying a few million dollars in royalties in the end is worth it, which is much cheaper and better than advertising ourselves! "Han Peng quickly explained the detailed plan of Aikang.

When the weak and the strong have a lawsuit, the American media and the public will not hesitate to sit on the side of the weak. That's why you see the news that the old lady fell at KFC, and KFC was ordered to pay tens of millions of dollars in huge punitive damages.

The courts in the United States implement the jury system, and it is the jurors who decide whether or not the infringement is committed. The judge will only decide the specific amount of damages according to the actual situation after the jurors find that the infringement is established.

For example, patent infringement cases have always been known for being cumbersome. The case dragged on for half a year or even a few years. It was impossible for the jury members to be closed to the outside world for such a long period of time, and they would be more or less affected by external media reports. If Ikon is presented as a bullied image, it is likely to win the sympathy of the jurors, allowing them to reach a verdict stronger than Ikon.

"The most important thing now is to dispel the concerns of American consumers, and the sales of the series cannot be affected by this! For the rest, we can accompany ibm to play slowly. Their lawyers are all elites in the industry, and Ikon is also the same. You can pour out a lot of dollars and form a super-luxurious lineup of lawyers to respond to the lawsuit!" Li Xuan said with a smile.

Han Peng nodded: "Aikang will hold a press conference this afternoon, US time, to refute ibm's infringement complaint one by one~www.readwn.com~ At the same time, the board of directors has passed an emergency resolution to temporarily increase the advertising budget in North America. , and will just point out a new series of advertisements in two days to eliminate the negative impact of patent disputes on sales!"

Business competition is by no means a sports game. The winner can be decided within a few hours, especially in the face of a strong opponent like IBM, Li Xuan never thought that he could beat the opponent with one punch. On the contrary, the opponent is a more powerful heavyweight boxer. If Aikang can't deal with it carefully, it is very likely that he will be punched by the opponent in turn.

The patent stick swung by ibm this time can be regarded as a wake-up call for Aikang and Li Xuan, who are fluttering a little, and make everyone calm down again quickly. It is also fortunate that Aikang is already a leading company in the personal computer market and has a strong position in the industry.

If Aikang is an unknown small company, it may be directly dragged to death in the face of such an attack by IBM. Therefore, business competition has always been cruel and bloody, and if you are not careful, you may be swallowed up by competitors. (To be continued..)

ps: I will go back to Jinhua to take the provincial civil service exam, everyone wish me great success! So today and tomorrow can only be used to save manuscripts, and there are two guarantees every day!

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