Chapter 393 The Beginning of the Patent War

Time quietly came to the end of July. Although it was still a holiday, Heshia felt that she would not be at home for long.

The situation of Four Leaf Crystal did not show any signs of easing. Instead, due to the exposure of some scars, the hidden resentment of all walks of life began to erupt. The top leaders accused each other, and the layoffs and closures of some companies also led to many people's dissatisfaction and demonstrations. Such news broke out frequently in the news.

During this period of time at home, in addition to paying attention to the news and listening to the news from Edes Academy, Heshia was also thinking about how this war would end.

If we look at it from a standpoint, she is undoubtedly close to Edes and hopes that the overall environment of Four Leaf Crystal will make great changes. But now she will not be naive to think that the group forces on the side of Edes Academy are all flawless saints. Many of them are just gathered together for the sake of interests, and some of her ideas and hopes may be seen by these group companies as childish and naive ideas.

Speaking of which, I really like to tangle with such things.

The girl sat on the sofa, stroking the cotton-feathered bird in her arms. Now these guys are almost the same size as normal hens, with snow-white feathers, but there are light gray and blue parts on the tail feathers and wings.

She was a little irritated, as if she was standing on a ship sailing far away. The direction of the ship's sailing was roughly the same as her purpose, but she didn't know some details, and some islands she hoped to dock would not be visited.

Carefully combing the fluffy feathers of the cotton-feathered bird, the girl was in a daze, letting her thoughts float in her mind.

"Sure enough, humans are difficult animals to get along with." She picked up the sleeping bird on her knees, gently rubbed its head, and then threw it up, watching the little guy chirping in the air, then circling a circle, and then gently falling down, lying on Heshia's head, ready to continue sleeping.

Seeing their companions land on Heshia's head, the other cotton-feathered birds squatting in the corner of the sofa also flew up, as if they wanted to try it too.

"Don't push your luck. We've finally taught the big spider a lesson. Now you like to do this, don't you?" Heshia raised her hands and caught the cotton-light bird above her head. Although these guys look big, they are actually very light, just like a ball of cotton. They can even hover in the air, which is a skill that many birds cannot do.

"Chirp--"

After being caught by Heshia, this slightly fat cotton-light bird wanted to struggle, but Heshia firmly grasped its wings and could only flutter in vain.

Perhaps Heshia is still thinking about some details and things far in the future, such as how to arrange the restoration of the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Domain after Ades wins, and how to avoid the recurrence of past tragedies, etc., but now the academy is not as confident as Heshia, because under the tough attack of Saint Ingo, some companies and groups that followed him began to waver and retreat.

As mentioned in the internal meeting of Saint Ingo, even if following Edes is more in line with the long-term interests of these companies, the current situation is critical. If they continue to fight against Saint Ingo, they will suffer huge losses and even risk bankruptcy. Under such pressure, some companies began to quietly withdraw from the alliance where Edes Academy is located.

Two days later in the morning, Heshia was awakened by the ringing of her personal terminal, followed by Anneli's slightly anxious voice.

"Sister Heshia, something happened recently..."

After a 20-minute narration, Heshia slowly woke up from her sleep.

"Well, I know, wait a moment, I will probably be able to rush back to school at noon, and notify the members of the student union to let them return to school as soon as possible."

It seems that this holiday is really impossible to continue. After getting up, Heshia stepped barefoot on the floor, then went straight to the bathroom at home, prepared to take a shower, and then changed clothes to set off.

Two hours later, a military aircraft landed at the airport on the surface of Arpeggio City, and then sprayed out a blue vortex airflow and slowly rose.

Sitting by the window on the side of the cabin, Heshia looked at the gradually receding land and the huge square well of Arpeggio City below, knowing that she might not be able to return here to spend her leisure time for a while.

Just as the news said, the war has begun, and neither side will back down. The influence, connections, and resources accumulated over the years are now being put on the gambling table by both sides. Any withdrawal will only lead to the complete sinking of previous efforts, and there is no possibility of a win-win situation between the two sides. It is destined that only one side can defeat the other.

I still think too perfectly, but in reality, I can't take care of so much. Perhaps only after winning first can I have the spare time to perfect the things that come later.

Fingers tied the hair behind her head, and the white ribbon with a blue rose bow was buckled on the collar and chest, setting off the girl's not-so-full chest, and then the slim black corset, and the dark blue and black dress. Today, Heshia's dress is slightly formal, with a solemnity different from the past.

The aircraft was getting faster and faster, heading straight to the south. Half an hour later, it entered the sky above the sea, and after another hour, it gradually approached the location of the South District 1.

Passing through the thick dark clouds, raindrops hit the wings and smashed into shattered water mist. Then, with a violent roar, the aircraft slowly landed in the South District 1.

The tip of her leather shoes stepped on the rain-soaked ground. Heshia raised her head slightly and looked at the gap between the dark clouds above her head. There was a little light seeping out of it, illuminating this not-so-bright world.

Not far in front of her, Anneli was standing outside the airport runway with an umbrella. Behind her were three parked hovercrafts and several security personnel from the Edes Academy.

After following Anneli into the car, the hovercraft rose and then headed towards the Edes Academy. Raindrops kept falling outside the car window, making it difficult for the inside to see the outside world.

"What's the situation?" Heshia asked Anneli about what she said on the phone.

"Imi is doing well now. His family sent her to school in time." Anneli transferred the information to the recording board in front of Heshia, and then listed it in detail.

'Imi: The second daughter of Ravens, the chairman of 'Isher' Company, is the third heir to 'Isher' Company. She has an older brother who is Ravens' only child. '

'Isher' Company's business is mainly the production of water purification devices. The company has a market share of about 22%. Its competitors in the same industry include 'Cosides', which has a market share of about 25%, and 'Gray Mountain Rock', a subsidiary of the 'Pu Shi' Group, which has a market share of about 41%. '

"In the past ten years, because it was backed by the chaebol of the 'Pu Shi' Group, 'Gray Mountain Rock' had sufficient funds and resources to suppress 'Isher' and 'Cosides' and seized a lot of their market share, which caused the profits and revenues of the two companies to decline sharply."

"In order to fight against 'Gray Rock', which is backed by the 'Universal' Group, the two companies gradually moved closer to Edes, hoping to use the academy as a link to allow the two companies to enter the group behind the Edes Academy. For this reason, Imi, the second daughter of the chairman, and Kayo, the heir of 'Cosides', enrolled together. Under the urging of their elders, the two got engaged at the beginning of the year and are expected to get married officially after graduation."

"Originally, everything was normal. After the two enrolled, the two companies gradually gained the support of the group in the camp to which Edes Academy belonged. Although they could not surpass 'Gray Rock', they could at least gradually stabilize their market share and no longer decline. Moreover, during their time at school, the two had a good relationship. Occasionally, classmates saw the two dating. Although it was a political marriage, they were also a relatively happy couple." Anneli had headphones hanging on her ears, and her voice was a little envious. Although she was also a daughter born into a wealthy family, she was not so free in terms of marriage, unless she was an only child like Dolores, who was destined to inherit the family business. As long as Dolores wanted, she could marry anyone.

"If everything goes well, they will probably get married in two years, but this time the fight between Edes and Saint Ingo has affected many companies." Anneli's voice was a little melancholy.

"Because of the olive branch thrown by Saint Ingo, the people in power at Kosides couldn't stand the temptation, or they couldn't see the hope of Edes's victory in the future. So last week, Kosides decided to withdraw from the alliance where Edes was, which also meant the end of their future marriage."

"Things could still end here, but perhaps Kosides wanted to prove its loyalty, or for its own sake, for the sake of future interests and to gain a foothold, Kayo, the heir of Kosides, deceived Imi and tricked her into getting the patent information of Ixelles, which is the core element for Ixelles to continue operating."

"If the patents of the two companies can be integrated and jointly researched and produced, it may be possible to produce products that are more competitive than Huishanyan. This was originally the plan of the two companies in the past. As long as the two get married, the plan will be promoted, and then there will be cross-holdings. If their children are outstanding, they may even merge the two companies into one."

"But there are no ifs. After the incident, Imi reacted and told her brother, who is now the first heir of the 'Isher' Group."

"As an elder brother, he could not tolerate Kayo's deception of his sister, not to mention that it was the core patent information of the company. Almost subconsciously, he led people into the corporate headquarters of 'Cosides' and argued and reprimanded the other party." Anneli gradually came to the key point of the matter.

"But he didn't see Kayo. He was entertained by the person in charge of 'Cosides', that is, Kayo's father. After the old man made a promise and apologized, the two sides put aside their conflicts for the time being, had dinner together, and then left."

"Not long after returning home, Imi's brother felt unwell, and soon fell into a coma. He was sent to the hospital but died before it was too late to save him. It was the kind that could not be saved."

"After receiving the news of his son's death, Imi's father called the director of our academy, and then sent the crying Imi back to school. After that, 'Isiel' officially declared a patent war against 'Cosides'. Imi's father raised a lot of funds through the emergency transfer of shares. Now about 14 high-level firms have accepted the commission, and a large number of people have gathered in 'Isiel'. At the same time, 'Cosides' has also declared martial law."

"Patent war..." After listening to Anneli's narration, Heshia sighed, and continued to look through the materials in her hand.

As a special term, "patent war" is the most direct and violent way of fighting between enterprises in the federation because of some irreconcilable contradictions. It has not been recognized in federal law, but no one will deny the occurrence of this phenomenon.

Sound laws can certainly solve many contradictions, but for large enterprises, the binding force of the law is not always favorable. If it is a clear case, the Federal Supreme Court may be able to make a judgment, but once it is a case that is difficult to explain and ambiguous, it is like falling into a bottomless quagmire. They have sufficient funds to hire lawyers and professional groups for endless litigation and debate. If neither side backs down, the case will be dragged on for decades or even a hundred years.

Such a long stalemate is unacceptable to some large enterprises. Since the law cannot solve it, they can only use gray area means, which is the "patent war".

Once it comes to this point, the party that initiates the "patent war" can be said to be registered on the list of the "court of justice" and will be investigated by the court soon. However, as long as the commission is paid, the members of those firms will not stop their actions. They will use various methods to destroy and interfere with the operation of the other party's company, or obtain the other party's core patent information, until the goal is achieved or the target company goes bankrupt.

It can be said that most of the time, the "patent war" is a way of fighting that hurts both sides, so no company will do this unless it is absolutely necessary. However, if it is successful, it is also a very lucrative way of fighting. The winner is likely to seize the other party's patent and be reborn from the ashes.

Recalling the description of the "patent war", Heshia rubbed her eyebrows lightly, and the hovercraft she was riding slowly drove into the gate of Edes Academy at this moment.

After entering the medical building of the academy, Heshia and Anneli came to one of the quiet rest rooms. At this time, Yimi was lying on the bed sleeping, with slightly red and swollen eyes. It seems that she had cried for a long time before. The nurse next to her told the two that Yimi had just fallen asleep not long ago.

After asking about the situation for a while, the two walked out and came to the corridor on the side. At this time, the rain outside was a little lighter, but the sky was still gloomy.

"What do the school directors think?" Heshia asked.

"The directors have discussed for a long time and have not made a decision yet, because this node is very delicate." Anneli explained.

"If Edes intervenes, then Saint Ingo will definitely intervene, which will lead to the continuous expansion of the patent war. At that time, even the top leaders of both parties will not be able to stop. The consequences are too dangerous. I guess Saint Ingo will also hesitate."

"So it's best to wait and see for now?" Heshia shook her head slightly, feeling that this was not a good choice.

"If 'Isher' loses this patent war, the initiator will be easily treated strictly by the Tribunal. In that case, not only will the patent not be recovered, but 'Cosides' will control the two patents, and together with the 'Pu Shi' Group, which originally belongs to the Saint Ingo camp, they will be able to monopolize this industry."

The moist and cold wind blew the girl's black hair. She looked at the rainy world outside and analyzed the possible results slowly.

"The water purification industry is one of the key nodes for the environmental change in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region. Otherwise, even if we win, we will have to rely on the companies under Saint Ingo to produce such products. This is not a victory at all."

"Besides, if we can't even save 'Isher', it's hard to imagine what other companies and groups standing in the Edes camp will think. They will probably be very disappointed."

Looking at Heshia standing in front of the window, Anneli felt that the black-haired girl had become particularly calm and rational today, and a chill that made her a little afraid slowly dissipated.

"President Heshia..." She called the other person's name in a low voice.

"There is no way to leave it alone, so there is only one choice." Heshia gathered her hair, then turned around and looked at Anneli. Her black eyes were like distant stars, making it difficult for people to see through.

"Prepare the hovercraft and take me to the 'Cosides' enterprise. Also, let Jin Senke contact the right firm. I know he likes dealing with those violent groups."

After she finished speaking, she walked to the side of the corridor, and Anneli hurriedly followed her, jogging while using her personal terminal to contact people and report to the academy.

A few minutes later, five hovercrafts passed through the gate of the campus, rising continuously, and then sprayed out light blue trails at the rear, speeding through the rain and rushing towards the gray world in the distance.

Standing on a high-rise building in the center of the academy, an old man quietly watched the hovercraft disappear in the rain, and the secretary beside him asked carefully.

"Director Hayden, are you really not going to stop Miss Heshia? If this triggers..."

"Let her go, the child will eventually grow up. She is the singer that countless people are looking forward to, and she is also the most powerful trump card of our academy. Perhaps we have all forgotten how amazing the miracle this girl brought."

"Even if Saint Ingo wants to use this to expand the war, then starting a patent war because of Heshia Tilan will be much more appealing than starting a war because of 'Isher'. She carries not only our hope, but also her mother and her past. She also represents the hope of all the forces in the north. They will not give up on this girl."

(End of this chapter)