Investment Life

In the industry, the origin of learning machines has never been a secret.Although it is under the banner of entertaining, popularizing computer keyboard operations, etc., in essence, the core of this model is the plagiarism and imitation of the Nintendo red and white machine. In addition to connecting a simple keyboard, the use of the learning machine The system, operating mode, and even the games loaded on the cassette are all from Nintendo, which is plagiarism that ignores copyright law.

But for consumers, they don't care where the product comes from or where the patent right belongs to. All they care about is whether the product is trendy and easy to use, whether it is high quality and low price.Due to the cunning of imitation and the precise speculation of consumer thinking, the learning machine has achieved dominance in just two years, squeezing out countless low-end imitations of red and white machines from the market, and has gained great popularity. success.

But what does the revelation behind this success mean to me?Seeing his wife's indifferent expression, Meng Lisheng felt sweat running down his spine.Compared with the red and white machine, the structure of the VCD is actually not much more complicated, especially the recording of the disc and the playback mode of the DVD player.If the product goes on the market and is used for research by people with ulterior motives, I believe that within a few months, the production process will be discovered and the same product will be copied.

At that time, if VCD players really meet the needs of the Chinese market and have such a large sales range, why should others give up this undefended fat and let themselves monopolize the VCD market?At that time, what he will face will be one opponent after another with strong financial support and sufficient scientific research strength, and it will be a disorderly and chaotic robber-like market.

With a sway in his figure, Meng Lisheng could no longer stand on his feet, and fell down on the sofa.It's just such a side detail, what will he face if he misses a look and takes a step? !And that boy doesn't look at anything, doesn't care about anything, only asks for two points, and only brings two machines, what does that mean?

It was as if the weakness in the depths of his heart had been clearly seen by others, and he had given the right medicine. Meng Lisheng felt a kind of fear from the bottom of his heart while he was dizzy. Xiao Junyi's words came to mind instantly, "He His vision and ability are impeccable", "The Xiao family stands behind him"... Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, Meng Lisheng smiled wryly, and now he finally knows the truth and weight of these words.It didn't feel good to be completely defeated, but at the same time he was extremely thankful that this young man was a friend who planned to stand on the same front, not an enemy.

Maybe he should give up all prejudices and take a brave step.This business world is much more complicated than I imagined, and it is beyond the control of researchers like myself and Professor Yan... Sitting on the sofa and thinking for a long time, Meng Lisheng suddenly got up and made an international call.If they want to cooperate, they should also show full sincerity, shouldn't they?

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"Learning machine and red and white machine?"

Xiao Junyi repeated these two names in a low voice. To him, these two models are not unfamiliar. Since they are red and white machines, they are very popular among the younger generation of children in that circle. I also played games like Super Mario and MapleStory a few times.On the contrary, in the eyes of those red and white machine enthusiasts, the learning machine is a bit unsightly, and it is said that it is a "miscellaneous brand" in a contemptuous tone.

Of course these children don't understand the real difference between genuine and off-brand brands, but Xiao Junyi still doesn't know the meaning of these words when he says them on this occasion.This is the "patent right" issue mentioned by Yuanming just now, right?The current domestic patent law is actually not perfect, and Nintendo has no intention of opening up the Chinese market, so it will let learning machines run rampant.But if there is no patent right and no means of legal maintenance, what will happen to those new things?

A military factory can manufacture refrigerators and color TVs by pulling back the production line. A small company with only a few hundred thousand assets can become the overlord of the domestic game industry after imitating and stealing other people's ideas. Innumerable, this country does not currently have strict legal protection measures, and all kinds of disorderly competition are destroying the vitality that the market should contain. Today Chen Yuanming is talking about the status quo of the game machine industry, so what about the future VCD?Or what about a mobile phone further away?

This time there was no joke, Xiao Junyi frowned slightly, "I should tell my uncle and the others, right?"

Chen Yuanming nodded, "Of course."

Looking at the young man with a serious expression in front of him, Chen Yuanming sighed slightly. Xiao Junyi already understood what he said, so would Meng Lisheng, the father of VCD, also be touched?In fact, Chen Yuanming has been thinking for a long time about today's move, how to win by surprise, how to successfully persuade the rigid mind in this era.This is the first step he has taken, and it is also the foundation of the whole grand plan, which is the butterfly flapping its wings to reverse this era.

Is the VCD patent falling apart really just a case of commercial failure?In fact, in Chen Yuanming's eyes, it was not at all.In other words, the success of the learning machine and the parallel rise of the VCD empire are the two major tragedies of China's industrialization.Here, two extremely bad examples are set up, which show that innovation is not so important, and ideas and ideas are far less quick than plagiarism.Immediate interests have blinded the eyes of most people, and the fact that China has not entered the WTO provides adequate protection for those short-sighted.

Since the 90s, China's manufacturing industry has rapidly entered the fast lane of imitation and OEM. "Shanzhai" has become a kind of spirit. A lot of manpower and material resources are used for opportunism. People no longer pay attention to inventions and representatives of scientific research institutes. Due to the high cost of innovation, a large number of real technical personnel have been shelved, and those with ideas, thinking and integrity are finally faced with the dilemma of not being able to eat enough.Fast, cheap, and zero-cost are the only goals that the "winners" value.

And this kind of grandiose market attitude is slowly eroding the concepts of consumers.The trust in the three major items and the national pride in Phoenix bicycles and Shanghai watches have gradually turned into irony and ridicule of "the genuine ones are expensive, and whoever buys them is stupid". Since there are pirated discs that cost 5 yuan a piece, why sell them for 15 Genuine version of the block?Since you can watch movies downloaded from the Internet, who wants to go to the cinema to consume?The medicines sold by well-known manufacturers are so expensive, why not buy similar low-priced products?Since the counterfeit goods are cheap and beautiful, why spend a lot of money to buy genuine ones...

The seemingly naive but extremely cruel questions left all conscientious companies speechless.This ridiculous self-confidence was shattered by the cruel reality after entering the WTO.Due to DVD copyright restrictions, China sells a DVD player to the outside world, only earning a profit of US$1, but has to pay a patent fee of US$18. It once occupied more than 80% of the world's DVD manufacturing industry. wedding dress.Chips for most electronic products rely on imports. If the upstream is slightly stuck, the downstream prices will skyrocket.Almost all the big-name manufacturers in the world have foundry factories in China, and those expensive, luxurious and trendy products have easily robbed a lot of hard-earned money only by holding patents and technologies.

The factory of the world, the cottage kingdom, sounds glorious and glorious, but it is not Ah Q-style self-mockery.In the memory of the previous life, this country wasted a whole ten years, paid extremely expensive tuition fees and prices, struggled in pain, and was reborn from the ashes.At present, this blueprint is still blank. Can he become the butterfly to incite and change the world...

His thoughts slowly drifted away, Chen Yuanming stopped talking, and looked at the tall and straight tree outside the window. It is only the beginning of March, and the treetop is still bare, and no new buds have yet emerged.But it will, with the comfort of time, with the moisture of the rain, once again flourishing and canopy.All it needs is a spring rain...

That night, Meng Lisheng called.Compared with the previous blindness and rudeness, this time his voice was a little more serious.On the phone, he told Chen Yuanming that he had already contacted Professor Yan in the United States. After serious discussions, they decided to visit again three days later to discuss cooperation matters.

Putting down the phone, Chen Yuanming exhaled softly and showed a smile.

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Different from the previous interviews, this time they did not choose Meng Lisheng's house, but set the meeting place in a hotel.In the luxurious suite, there is a dining room full of delicious food on one side, and a reception room with bright windows on the other.Several people were sitting on the sofa, the teacups were steaming hot, and a large stack of documents was placed in front of them, and a man opened his mouth cautiously.

"This is all the information we have so far." Unlike Meng Lisheng, Professor Yan, who is a Chinese-American, wears a well-fitting suit, which is more in line with the style of business elites in the future in terms of mental outlook and mentality.

Chen Yuanming raised his head and smiled slightly at the other party. "It's very clear and clear at a glance."

In his hands, all the planning details about VCD production are displayed, including the price of the production line that must be invested, the sales evaluation for the market, the cost of early publicity, and the allocation of human resources, etc., and so on.For these, Chen Yuanming dare not say he is proficient, but from the general plan, it can be seen that the two are serious.

"Professor Yan and I have also carefully considered the issue of patent rights mentioned earlier." On the other side, Meng Lisheng said a little nervously, "Patents are indeed a major problem that we need to overcome at present. Yesterday, Professor Yan contacted the United States. A patent agency company, they have considerable experience in patent application, as long as the product is produced, it can immediately and systematically apply for industrial property rights in most countries and regions except China. We decided to name the product brand 'Feiyan' and have entrusted Design a trademark."

As he spoke, he paused, and glanced at Xiao Junyi in some embarrassment, "As for domestic property rights, the current practical patent law in China is somewhat different from the international practice, so we may have to rely on ourselves to apply for patents, which involves a lot of problems. Department, it may take some time."

For China at present, the patent law is indeed a new thing, and it is reasonable to have some scruples.But now Feiyan has got rid of all kinds of constraints caused by relying on bank loans, and does not value local support as much as in previous lives. In order to retain this emerging industry with great potential, this province will support the development of enterprises with a more open and reasonable attitude. .Chen Yuanming is not too worried about this. The local government that was able to spend more than 1000 million US dollars to develop the VCD industry in the previous life should not obstruct it because of this issue, let alone the great god of the Xiao family.

Smiling, Chen Yuanming put down the materials in his hand and sat up straight. "I am very clear about your sincerity. The only problem now is the VCD discs I mentioned before. In my plan, the production and manufacture of VCD discs is not in the expected goal. There are too many related departments involved. It should not be played by the broadcaster. Machine manufacturers step in."

As soon as these words came out, both of them were taken aback, "But now we don't produce VCDs, how will we sell our DVD players..."

Chen Yuanming shook his head, "Your thinking has fallen into a misunderstanding, or the product positioning is not clear enough. What the VCD player should replace is not karaoke equipment, but a video recorder. It is a supplementary product to a TV, used to play A tool for film and television productions."

After speaking, he flicked the information on his hand lightly. "In fact, not only VCD players, but also VCD discs must apply for a patent. The main purpose of this patent is no longer to obtain profits, but to exchange copyrights. Nowadays, the production of audio-visual companies in the market mainly relies on cassettes and CDs. In fact, you don’t need to use your eyes. But film and television works are the opposite. Laser discs are too expensive, video tapes are not only expensive, but also have a rewritable mode, which is not ideal for sales. But if there is a cheap substitute, those Wouldn't the film and television company be tempted?"

"It's also a matter of arithmetic. After a film is released, its profit margin will shrink rapidly. The income from TV rebroadcasts and video tape sales is not considerable, but with video discs, these films will be recorded with VCD players. Entering the door of tens of thousands of households, if selling a VCD player can sell a hundred sets of video discs, then what is the commercial prospect contained in it?"

Meng Li grew his mouth wide, "But... how long..."

Chen Yuanming smiled, "Yes, the duration does not match. If VCD must be used as the carrier, then a movie needs two discs to play, which will greatly increase the difficulty of playback, and it does not conform to the simplest principle. This is my first opinion on the VCD industry. The root of the two concerns - it is not the best carrier. Can't CDs hold more capacity and longer duration? VCD should never be the end, but the first step in this huge market. So in In my vision, not only should I focus on the development of VCD, but also put more energy into the next generation of products. This is not a matter of winning or losing in one battle, but a continuous battle. It’s all about being first.”

That's right, this is the second biggest hidden danger in the VCD industry. When China's manufacturing industry was complacent about the huge profits of VCD, Japan had already entered the DVD development, and launched the first generation of DVD discs in 1994, and then in 1995, DVD The standard is delineated by 6C Group, which blocked the patent rights of the DVD industry around the world in one fell swoop, and obtained immeasurable wealth.In this era, if you don't think about innovation, then the glorious victory will be gone in a blink of an eye. What they have to do now is to race against time and compete with all potential enemies. This will be a war without gunpowder. He cannot let China Lost at the starting point.

These words made everyone in the room fall into silence. After a long time, Professor Yan chuckled lightly. "Jiangshan is waiting for newcomers... We are really old."

Meng Lisheng also nodded helplessly, "Who would have thought of this? I thought it was because of my excellent vision that I thought of developing VCD, but I didn't expect that I was immature at the beginning..." He said, looking to his side partner, "Lao Yan, how are you doing? Are you confident in the next step of development?"

Professor Yan laughed, "We are the first to make MPEG format, and of course we can also be the first to make MPEG-2. In this regard, we will not lose to anyone at present!"

The confidence in the tone was almost overflowing, revealing the pride of an old man chatting with a teenager.During the excited conversation between the two, Chen Yuanming leaned lightly on the back of the sofa, tired, but there was a kind of power in his heart that was transpiring.This is his first step...

In the afternoon of the next day, after visiting the VCD R&D studio, surveying the location of the factory building on the spot, and discussing some detailed issues, several people agreed on a preliminary cooperation intention.Chen Yuanming, as the largest investor in the VCD industry, will invest RMB 5 million in the early stage of the project to speed up the research and development progress. It is expected to produce a prototype in mid-June.At the same time, 6 million yuan will be provided as construction costs for building factories and custom assembly lines.

After the prototype was successful, Meng Lisheng and Professor Yan were responsible for the application and registration of domestic and foreign patent rights, while Chen Yuanming was responsible for finding someone to contact the film and television company to discuss the production of VCD discs.After everything is settled, it is expected to be officially put into production in October.After that, he will continue to invest 1 million RMB as publicity expenses, and 5 million RMB as additional costs for developing and upgrading products.

In addition to the 5 million yuan invested by Chen Yuanming, Professor Yan will inject 1 million yuan into R&D and production, and Meng Lisheng will mainly invest in technology. The equity distribution of the three is 3:2:4, with Meng Lisheng as the company's controlling shareholder and the remaining 10%. Shares are used as preferred shares for enterprises to absorb technical personnel and will be allocated separately.

For today's domestic environment, this letter of intent is undoubtedly of epoch-making significance.After confirming the general matters, Chen Yuanming set foot on the flight back to Shanghai again...