Rebirth of America, this is my time

When Steve Jobs said that Atari had the patent authorization of 'US3728480 A', Ethan Jones only felt that his eyes were clear, and all the strange behaviors that could not be explained before were connected together!

First of all, that was the negotiations for "Snake Game" a few months ago.

Since people in the world have just come into contact with video games and have no idea about the running process and display techniques of video games, most people think that Atari just copied Milohua's work in the game "Pong" and there is no understanding of it at all. Be aware of patent infringement in video games. Even if Mi Luohua and Atari get into a lawsuit, people only know that Atari will not be able to release new games in the next year. It is not clear that Atari used one year of stagnation to exchange for a patent monster, and here Under this blindness, Ethan appeared with "Snake Game".

This appearance is a surprise for Atari!

When they were ready to give up on the market, someone came to cooperate with them with a game?

This is simply God’s favor!

And when Nolan Bushnell saw the super high quality of "Snake Game", he should have had the idea of ​​​​acquisition of "Snake Game" in his mind. If not, why did Don Valentine during the negotiation? Will they propose a 99-year licensing contract?

At first, Ethan Jones thought that Don Valentine and the others were asking for an exorbitant price and were waiting for him to pay back the money.

So he used Stanford to put pressure on him and signed the licensing contract for one year in a pretentious manner.

But looking at it now... these guys probably did it on purpose!

Because the length of authorization time means nothing to them!

Because they know better than anyone else that as long as "Snake Game" dares to be sold, it is an infringing product! As long as Ethan Jones is willing to entrust "Snake Game" to them, then they will definitely witness Ethan Jones being taken to court by Milohua!

At this point, the second step, which is currently happening, occurs.

When Mirova took Ethan Jones and Atari to court, Ethan Jones, who was bound to lose the case, could only choose to pay money.

Because no one can win this case.

Ethan Jones's resignation is the best opportunity for Nolan Bushnell and Don Valentine, as long as they shift all responsibility for this incident to Ethan Jones, who has admitted patent infringement. body, then they can sue Ethan Jones as a victim and require Ethan Jones to bear all losses from this infringement.

That would be an astronomical figure!

"Snake Game" has sold nearly 10,000 copies!

Even if Atari were merciful and only asked Ethan Jones to make up for their losses, he couldn't make up for it!

And since Ethan Jones cannot afford the sky-high compensation, the third step, which is what Atari hopes to happen, will become inevitable.

If you can't pay the compensation, then use other things to pay off the debt.

And what is the most valuable thing about Ethan Jones?

Isn’t that “Snake Game”!

After a period of tug-of-war, the two parties will inevitably reach an out-of-court settlement. Atari reluctantly accepts the infringing work "Snake Game" as compensation. At the same time, they can also pay Milohua compensation to cover up the previously released "Snake Game". 》All proceeds!

After this operation, Ethan Jones could only leave the game with regret, and Atari only spent one million in compensation to obtain the entire copyright of "Snake Game", and this copyright... will bring them exponential benefits income!

To be honest, when this speculation appeared in front of Ethan Jones like a passing thought, what Ethan Jones wanted to do most was to strangle Nolan Bushnell and Don Valentine to death!

Have you been thinking about his "Snake Game" from the beginning?

Damn it! ! !

Of course, even if Ethan Jones deduced the facts, he had no intention of being impulsive, so the next day, he found Barbara and told her all the information Jobs had received and his speculations.

The complete series of contents allowed Barbara to see everything clearly. At the same time, she also asked: "Ethan, how do you want to deal with this matter?"

"Teacher Barbara, how can I handle this matter?" Ethan asked, he wanted to hear the mage's advice.

"Well……"

This question made Barbara ponder for a moment, "Ethan, although we have inferred the entire process of the entire incident, these contents have no factual basis and can only give us a clear idea of ​​what Atari is pursuing."

"If you follow the normal legal process, you will still lose the case and you will still have to compensate, but after knowing the truth, you will not compensate in a confused way, but in a prepared manner..."

"I think you should be able to understand what I mean, right?"

Barbara looked at Ethan seriously.

"Yeah!" Ethan smiled and nodded, "I understand, so we can't follow the normal legal process, right?"

"..."

This question stunned Barbara for a moment.

Then, there was a look of dumbfounding on her face, "Oh Ethan, I am a lawyer and a teacher. In this case, you ask me if I can solve legal problems with non-legal problems? You are simply... …”

"Then can you answer a few questions for me?"

Ethan knew what Barbara was in trouble for, so he changed the question, "A few legal issues."

"That's okay." Barbara nodded cheerfully: "So, what do you want to know?"

It seemed that the matter was a foregone conclusion, so Barbara also made a joke——

"For example, what is the crime of illegally invading other people's private homes and shooting people in the head?"

"For another example, what is the maximum number of years in prison for shooting someone with a gun in the street and causing death?"

"Or after causing a serial murder, will surrendering lead the judge to consider reducing the sentencing?"

"Hahaha..." Barbara's metaphor almost made Ethan laugh to death, "Oh Barbara! Do you think I look like that kind of lunatic?"

"certainly!"

Barbara replied with a smile on her face, "With all due respect, I can't think of any way to resolve this matter."

Ethan very much agreed with Barbara's words, because normal methods can no longer solve these problems, but at the same time, he also knew that in addition to legal channels, there is another kind of attack in this world called magic.

When these guys don't practice martial arts, it's like what dad said - 'Magic must defeat magic'.

Thinking of this, the smile on Ethan's lips grew wider. He sat upright and asked: "Barbara, the first question is, I want to know, after Milohua sued me and before I submitted my defense, Can Mi Luohua withdraw the lawsuit?”

…………

Sidley Austin has two offices in California, one in San Francisco and one in Los Angeles.

When Ethan stepped into Room 2000, 555 California Street, San Francisco, the two lawyers who had previously delivered the lawyer's letter to him greeted him with smiles.

After inviting Ethan to their office, they poured him a cup of American ginseng tea, and then sat across from him with a smile. When the soft sofa sunk into a subtle arc, friendly words followed. Appear.

"Mr. Jones, I'm glad to see you again. Although we just talked to you on the phone, we still can't believe our ears, so we want to confirm with you again whether you want our client Mi Is Luo Hua withdrawing the lawsuit? And in order to achieve this fact, you are willing to accept all the compensation contents in the complaint, that is, to compensate our client, Mi Luo Hua, one million US dollars, and to promise not to sell "Snake" as a video game in the United States. Game", right?"

"Hmm...half and half."

Ethan Jones, who put on a suit and tie, smiled and said: "As long as your client, Mi Luohua, agrees to withdraw the lawsuit, I, Ethan Jones, and my sister, Evelyn Johnson, are willing to compensate you. One million dollars for the parties involved.”

"As for the ban on sales you mentioned..."

"I don't think your client, Mi Luohua himself, would write this clause in the settlement agreement."

…………

"sure!"

Barbara nodded and said with a smile: "According to the laws of our country, after the plaintiff files a lawsuit in the court and before the defendant submits a defense, the plaintiff can withdraw the lawsuit, but it needs to submit a motion to voluntarily withdraw the lawsuit to the court to end it. case."

"Of course, if the plaintiff chooses to withdraw the lawsuit, all costs between the prosecution and the withdrawal will be borne by the plaintiff."

"However, in actual practice, if the defendant and the plaintiff reach an agreement and want to solve the problem quickly, the costs borne by the plaintiff will eventually be passed on to the defendant."

After answering this question, Barbara's face also showed curiosity, "Ethan, why did you ask this question?"

"Because I am ready to reconcile with Milohua." Ethan smiled.

‘? ’ This answer made Barbara look confused, “Why?”

"How do you know Mi Luohua is willing to reconcile?"

…………

Ethan Jones's words confused the two lawyers.

They looked at each other first, and then the guy sitting on the left said: "Mr. Jones, with all due respect, I don't understand what you mean, because our client has made it clear that those who infringe the rights will be severely punished by law."

"If you just want to solve the problem by compensating money, then I don't think our client will agree."

"Really?" Ethan Jones smiled, nodded, and said, "Then please tell your parties that I, Ethan Jones, know why they want to sue Atari and me separately. "

"Then, please tell your client that there is no problem in their separate prosecution."

"I, Ethan Jones, can guarantee them here that they will definitely get two compensation payments."

‘? ’

Sidley Austin's lawyers looked confused, they did not understand what Ethan Jones said.

But even so, they did as Ethan Jones asked.

After all, it was they who sued Atari.

…………

"Barbara, you ask me why I know that Milohua is willing to reach a settlement with me?"

"This question is actually very simple." Ethan Jones said with a smile: "As you said before, Mi Luohua's prosecution behavior is quite abnormal. It is so abnormal that you once thought that Mi Luohua was deliberately targeting people. I."

"I couldn't answer your question before, but now I can answer it definitely, yes and no."

"The reason why I said yes is very simple, because I think the reason why Milohua sued me is that they feel they have been embarrassed."

“As you said before, when middle-level leaders can blame their subordinates in order to keep their jobs, those at the top will not be much better. When questioned by their bosses, they will cry out for help like a drowning person. "

"My presence does open them up to questioning."

"So they will sue me at all costs and get as much compensation from me as possible. This kind of thing can only be left to an external law firm, because no one knows whether the lawyers within the company are loyal."

Hearing this, Barbara's eyebrows stretched.

"Oh Ethan...if that's the case, it totally makes sense."

At the same time, she also asked: "What if it's not?"

"The reasons that are not directed at me are actually simpler."

Ethan picked up the water glass on the table and shook it gently.

The originally calm water surface suddenly became rippled.

Looking at the scene of losing his calm, Ethan smiled and raised his glass, "Because Milohua himself knew that Atari had the patent license for video games and training devices, but they didn't know whether Atari had infringed the patent. "

“The words of Steve Jobs last night woke me up. He said that Atari has a way to avoid the infringement issue of “Snake Game”, as long as the contract we signed does not involve machine agents.”

"Mi Luohua will definitely know about this kind of thing."

"So, just to be sure, they prosecuted them separately."

"Because my infringement is an inevitable fact, and the provisional application from the Patent Office can prove it, and Atari's infringement is Schrödinger's cat. When Atari did not take the contract we signed in front of Miro, Miro Hua also doesn’t know whether Atari has infringed the copyright.”

"When Milohua starts doing this, it can only prove one thing..."

Ethan drank all the water in the cup and looked at Barbara with a smile, "The people who decided to sue us don't care about whether we infringe the law at all. They just want to get compensation safely and get compensation through legal channels. Get compensation that proves to the boss that they are right.”

"If they really cared, they would first send a letter to inquire instead of directly suing."

…………

"Uh...Mr. Jones...I just contacted our client. They are very satisfied with the news you gave."

Sidley Austin’s lawyer looked at Ethan Jones with a smile and said: “However, our client stated that this established fact cannot be used as a bargaining chip in the transaction unless you can come up with something else that interests our client. s things."

"Then I want to know, what would interest your client?"

Ethan Jones leaned back, intertwined his fingers and placed them on his abdomen.

"You should be able to feel that I come today with sincerity."

"Oh Mr. Jones, sincerity is not something you can say with your mouth, right?"

Sidley Austin's lawyer, who had previously called to communicate with Milohua, smiled and said, "You can definitely promise us more."

…………

"But even if you know that Mi Luohua is just looking for money and that Mi Luohua's top management is just trying to keep their jobs, proactive reconciliation is actually the most unfavorable option for you. Do you understand what I mean? Ethan?"

Barbara took a deep breath and said: "If we follow the process, we submit the defense statement, and then submit the evidence on time, and the court brings the case to the settlement stage, then with the intervention of the judge, you will not have to pay that much at all. Rich."

Speaking of this, Barbara paused for a moment, then changed her tone and said seriously:

"Ethan, I should have told you that judges are not gods, they are human beings."

"When two young children stand in the dock and listen to the plaintiff's lawyer explaining their crimes with confused expressions, any judge will feel sympathy! Because they know how outrageous this patent is!"

"Although in this case, in order to maintain the fairness of the law, you will still lose the case, but the judge, or in the end, the jury will feel that a million compensation is too much!"

"They will definitely delete Milohua's compensation as appropriate!"

"If I were to defend you, I would definitely say that you did not do it unintentionally. In this case, one hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? It would have solved the problem! You know, Atari paid for their "Pong" It only cost 700,000 yuan! I can even tell you this, if it exceeds 200,000 yuan... even Stanford can’t stand it!”

"As long as I report the matter and Evelin tells Vinton about it, all the leaders of the school will make calls for you, and they will take the initiative to communicate with those idiots in the San Francisco Courthouse!"

"Because I really can't blame you for this!"

…………

"Promise more?"

Attorney Sidley Austin's words made Ethan Jones laugh.

"I think you may not have figured out the key to the problem. Reconciliation is more in line with your interests."

"If you really have to go to court, even if you have legal knowledge, you won't be able to get more money than the settlement!"

"Because your client, Mi Luohua, has never publicly declared to the outside world that he owns the patent for 'Video Game and Training Device'! It's not that your client cannot declare it, but that your client dare not declare it!"

"Any normal person knows how outrageous this patent is! Your client only dares to sue directly, but does not dare to let you send a lawyer's letter. It is nothing more than trying to silence the infringer with legal means!"

“If you send a lawyer’s letter directly, the infringer will definitely publicize your client’s outrageous patent to the media and gain public support. If you sue directly, you can use the Federal Rules of Procedure to require the defendant to protect your client’s patent information! Because this involves your client’s privacy and business secrets!”

At this point, Ethan Jones also leaned slightly and mocked: "But your request can only deceive ordinary people, right? Because before the court issues a protection order, I can reveal everything to the media."

"Other defendants don't dare to disclose it, just because they know that the lawsuit will fail, and they want to reach a settlement with your client and pay less money."

"But when I am willing to pay compensation, you are unwilling to reconcile and insist on insisting on the ban on sales..."

"That's really embarrassing."

Although Ethan Jones was smiling, his words were cold, "Tell Milohua."

"If he insists on banning sales, I will contact the Los Angeles Times."

"Don't they want to make money on patents?"

"I really want to know how much money you can make from this kind of unjust lawsuit that you must win after the incident is exposed?"

"I think there's one thing you know better than me, right?"

"Judges are human beings too."

Sidley Austin's lawyer gave Ethan Jones a deep look.

Then he got up and made a phone call.

…………

"Yeah~Yeah~Yeah~" Barbara's words made Ethan nod repeatedly.

"I know, I know it would be better for me to litigate, but I need this settlement."

‘? ’

Barbara didn't understand what Ethan meant.

If you can lose less money and more money, isn't that a disease?

And Ethan said with a smile: "Oh Barbara, maybe in your opinion, my current behavior has the meaning of 'don't be reasonable in an unreasonable environment, and don't be a hero when you must lose', but ...I'm sorry, you are wrong, this is not what I am pursuing at all."

'That's not it? ’

Barbara still didn't understand.

But the next second, Ethan's expression changed and he said loudly——

"Because I want Mi Luohua to die! Let those who continue to blame themselves on me die!!"

"I've had enough of their endless trouble-seeking behavior!!!"

"And how to let them die?"

"It's easy!"

"Just make one person feel sorry for me!"

"As for who that person is..."

"I think you should have guessed?"

The sudden voice was venting the anger in his heart.

Asking in a calm manner is the communication of inner thoughts.

When Ethan regained his composure and showed a harmless smile to Barbara, Barbara, who was startled by him, also laughed "goose-goose-goosely" and patted her thigh. nod--

"Yeah~"

"If you want Mi Luohua to die."

"Just make Professor Ralph Bell think you're miserable."

"And Professor Ralph Bell..."

"He will definitely feel miserable for you."

"Because he is very dissatisfied with Milohua, and you helped Chuck Paido."

That's right!

The reason Ethan is willing to lose money is because he wants to meet Professor Ralph Bell!

Because in the future, as long as he wants to make video games, it will be impossible to bypass Professor Ralph Bell's patent for video games and training devices! When Milohua holds it, it is equivalent to holding the entire North American video game market!

In this case, how does Ethan play the game?

There is no way!

But even if this patent is in Niubi, there is still a way to get around it!

As long as Professor Ralph Bell is willing to make games, he can be reborn in California just like Chuck Paido and MOS 6502!

As for Professor Ralph Bell, is he willing to make games?

This problem actually does not exist.

Because Steve Jobs once told Ethan that in order not to destroy the North American video game market, Professor Ralph Bell and Nolan Bushnell reached a settlement! This old man would rather suffer damage himself, but also wants to protect the budding game market!

So, when Ethan found out that those idiots in Mi Luohua were just looking for money, he decided to compensate them one million. Then I went to visit Ralph Bell, told him that I wanted to make a game, and asked the old man to come forward and get a similar patent, so that those idiots in Mirohua could eat shit!

Doesn't Mi Luohua want to make money while lying down?

I will demolish your home right away! Split your bed! Raise your bed!

I want you to lie down!

From now on, I won’t charge any royalties from those who come here to make games!

Let’s see who kills whom!

Of course, all of Ethan's confidence actually stems from Evelin's previous awakening.

When he helps Chuck Padre, these dream chasers will push him to become a saint.

If others ask for Ralph Bell, the old man may hesitate.

But Ethan believed that when he went, the other party would only warmly welcome him.

"Pa bang bang..."

Barbara clapped.

"Ethan—Ethan Jones—"

"you really are--"

"too crazy!"

"Oh! Fxxk! I have been practicing for many years, but this is really the first time I have seen such a crazy client like you!"

Although her words were dirty, Barbara still had to admit that there was nothing wrong with Ethan's idea.

Are you legally invulnerable?

Sorry, I can take the heat out of the situation!

After sighing, Barbara asked curiously: "Where are you going to get the one million compensation from?"

"The number one million should be a lot of pressure for your family, right?"

"Who said I have to pay for this million myself?" Ethan tilted his head slightly and asked with a smile.

"Huh?" Barbara was stunned for a moment, then said: "Do you want-"

"Yes, you are right."

Ethan clapped his hands and adjusted his collar, "Shouldn't Atari pay for this?"

"Since they want to steal my "Snake Game", then don't blame me for smashing their patent license!"

Having said this, Ethan stood up with a smile.

"See you later, Teacher Barbara."

…………

"Okay, Mr. Jones, our client agrees to settle with you."

After the second phone call was made, Sidley Austin's lawyer also appeared in front of Ethan Jones again, "However, our client said that he will send someone to San Francisco to discuss the specific details with you, and please be on time. turn up."

"no problem."

Ethan Jones stood up with a smile and actively stretched out his right hand.

"I hope we can reach a consensus soon."

"We also hope that this day will come soon."

Sidley Austin's two lawyers shook hands with Ethan Jones one by one.

"See you later." The two lawyers nodded.

"See you later," Ethan Jones said with a smile.

Note: ① As written in the article, Barbara knew that Ralph Bell did not like Milova. It was a fact and was not modified for the plot. In reality, when Milova frantically sued those game companies, Ralph Bell Bell publicly stated that he did not like Milohua's rights protection behavior. This old man really wanted to play games. Later, when Milohua refused to listen and refused to work seriously on the game, Ralph Bell cooperated with another company called Coleco.

PS: There are 6.8K chapters today, 2-in-1. There will be no chapters at 8pm. Tomorrow should be 2-in-1 at 12 noon. This kind of chapter that needs to be written in one go cannot be written intermittently. Please post it intermittently. Forgive me.