Although it's unclear why Ye Chu wanted to package up some unpopular short stories, it's certainly a good thing that someone is offering money. Besides, Ye Chu's offer was quite reasonable.
"But I can't sell you '129,600'."
Shang Yechu's heart tightened: "Someone has already made a reservation?"
“No, that’s not the case.” Ai Xiaodong shrugged. “It’s just that my lawsuit with Xinkong Publishing House isn’t looking too good. The copyright for ‘129,600’ will most likely end up going to them. You should go talk to the publisher.”
The messy accounts between Xinkong Publishing House and Ai Xiaodong have been unresolved for three years, deterring countless potential buyers. After all, no one wants to risk investing in a film project only to have it go to waste due to copyright issues. It's an industry consensus that a work can only have one parent (or creator).
"The short stories I submitted to Science Fiction Era have nothing to do with Xinkong Publishing House. We can talk about it," Ai Xiaodong said succinctly. "The longer ones are no good."
Shang Yechu frowned inwardly. She clearly remembered that "129,600" was later adapted into a movie and a TV series. Could it be a collaboration with Xinkong Publishing House?
Regardless, it's always good to maintain a good relationship with the author. Shang Yechu thought for a moment and glanced at the copyright agent.
The copyright agent understood immediately and said to Ai Xiaodong, "How about this? We can sign an exclusive letter of intent with you, which includes a priority cooperation clause."
This was the first time Ai Xiaodong had heard of something so new: "What is that?"
“From the signing of the contract until the end of the lawsuit, you cannot authorize any third party to adapt ‘129,600’ for film or television. During this period, my employer has the right of first refusal to purchase the copyright,” the agent said.
“Of course,” the agent added, “we won’t waste your time for nothing. My employer will provide a certain amount of exclusivity agreement fee. Regardless of the final outcome of your lawsuit with New Sky Publishing House, this fee will be entirely yours and you will not have to return it.”
This practice was originally popular in Hollywood, but after 2016, domestic film and television companies also gradually started using exclusivity agreements to acquire intellectual property (IP). However, as of this year, exclusive letters of intent and exclusivity agreements are still the norm for online novel IPs, applicable to genres such as historical romance and fantasy novels.
As a leading figure in niche science fiction, and given his well-known three-year legal battle with Xinkong Publishing House, few film and television companies are eager to sue Ai Xiaodong, and he has yet to be exposed to this new set of rules.
Ai Xiaodong did the math. If he lost the lawsuit, this exclusivity agreement fee would be the last bit of money "129,600" would earn him, so he might as well take it; if he won the lawsuit...
The planner saw through Ai Xiaodong's scheme and immediately said, "We will only purchase the domestic film and television adaptation rights. As for the global copyright, game copyright, and merchandise copyright, they will remain yours. As you can probably tell, my employer is an actress who is only interested in acting. Other projects are not on her radar."
Ai Xiaodong glanced at Shang Yechu and nodded, saying, "I've seen your films; you acted quite well."
Perhaps feeling that the compliment was too stiff, Ai Xiaodong added, "It's very suitable for science fiction films."
Shang Yechu asked with interest, "Which of my films are you watching?"
She had expected Ai Xiaodong to mention Li Yiming or Emperor Pingzhao, but instead Ai Xiaodong said, "The Mute Woman? Your role in it was very good. Very human. Too typical of a human."
----------
Although the acquisition of the novel's rights encountered setbacks, the purchase of the short stories went very smoothly. Ai Xiaodong didn't have any of the bad habits that were rumored about him, and he sold his own works very readily. In addition, Shang Yechu's price was reasonable, and the negotiation process was almost entirely smooth sailing.
This purchase nearly emptied Shang Yechu's savings. Shang Yechu was extremely fortunate that the salary cap hadn't been implemented yet, and her income was sufficient to cover the cost of these copyrights. Once the salary cap was implemented at the end of the year, the income of top artists in the entertainment industry would be significantly reduced, at which point she would have to work even harder to produce films in order to invest in more good scripts.
Even with smooth negotiations, this deal still took Shang Yechu a month. By the time everything was finalized, it was already early November. Shang Yechu had no choice but to rush to Taiwan to attend the Golden Dome Awards ceremony.
The Golden Dome Awards were as star-studded as ever. Shang Yechu recognized many familiar directors and artists among them.
Gu Wenhua and Qi Ming had arrived early, waiting for Shang Yechu. Qi Ming looked the same as always, even more energetic. Gu Wenhua had been recuperating indoors for several months, and his skin had returned to its original fair tone; he was no longer as dark as charcoal.
Unlike the nervousness and anticipation they felt when attending the Golden Dome Awards ceremony for the first time, the Taiwan Golden Dome Awards were notorious for their exclusion of outsiders, especially mainland China. All three knew perfectly well that they had no chance of winning and were merely going through the motions.
Different mindsets lead to different mental states. Both Qi Ming and Gu Wenhua were relaxed, with Qi Ming even joking, "I didn't want to come, but Ru Guan reimbursed my airfare, saying it was a publicly funded trip..."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Gu Wenhua launched into a long-winded discussion about "Rules Street": "The light, the fire, the explosions! It's amazing! When the finished film comes out, it'll definitely blow your mind!"
Gu Wenhua seemed much more confident. Shang Yechu guessed that Gu Wenhua was foolish and rich, throwing money around like a whirlwind, and that he had been blown into a daze by the special effects company.
Shang Ye arrived a little late and, without having time to observe who was present, directly asked Gu Wenhua.
Gu Wenhua said, "Most of them are familiar faces from the Taiwanese film industry, almost identical to the guest list. There are a few new directors, though, what are their names again..." As she spoke, she started flipping through her phone.
Shang Yechu wasn't very interested in the new director and was about to tell Gu Wenhua to stop looking when, unexpectedly, a voice came from behind him.
"Ye Chu? Miss Ye?"
At the same time, Gu Wenhua found the name and said, "Yes, it's Luo Yao!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
