Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 266 If you want to fight, then fight!
"So - our digital disc project has now encountered a fatal obstacle?"

March 23rd, Tokyo time, Sony headquarters.

As soon as he got off the plane, Ohga Norio immediately returned to the company and reported the situation of the outbound negotiation to Sony's current president, Akio Morita. After listening to the twists and turns of the process, Akio Morita immediately pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his dark eyes were full of solemnity.

"Yes."

The president's question made Norio Ohga nod seriously and said, "Although Philips is willing to cooperate with us to jointly develop a digital disc and jointly establish a universal standard for digital discs, the Fate Game that suddenly appeared rejected my invitation and was unwilling to join the alliance."

"Since Destiny Game has never disclosed its R&D progress, we don't know exactly how far they have progressed and whether they have an advantage. But now, their R&D progress is no longer the most important thing. What really put us in a passive position is that they took the initiative to obtain the patent."

Ohga Norio pursed his lips.

It seems like organizing language, but it also seems more like wanting to make the seriousness of the matter clear.

"President, according to our previous plan, after establishing the universal standard for digital optical discs, we will first sell optical disc products in our home country. If the response is good, we will export them. This will not only test the popularity of the product, but also reduce unnecessary patent expenses for us."

"but--"

"Not now."

"Although we can still sell CD products in our home country, and we can even gain a certain market share with the music company we own, we have no way to sell our products to North America due to the patent blockade. Once our products cannot be sold to North America..."

“Then what’s the point of developing this product?”

Norio Ohga looked at Akio Morita helplessly.

And Akio Morita also understood what he meant.

Although the current Japanese economy is growing rapidly and major industries have even become the world's number one, America is after all the world's largest economy and the largest single market. If a product cannot be sold to North America, it is equivalent to losing 20% ​​of the global market share.

For most companies in the world, this kind of thing is dispensable, because 99% of the world's companies are unable to conduct cross-border trade, but for Sony...

This is absolutely unacceptable!

Because Sony has been cultivating the North American market since its establishment!
Their famous product, a portable semiconductor radio made with the transistor patent of Bell Labs, has half of its sales coming from North America;

The same goes for Trinitron TVs; they can make higher profits in North America for the same product.

Not only that, in order to develop the North American market, ten years ago, Akio Morita even led his entire family to move directly to North America to settle down and grow together with Sony North America.

When 20 to 30 percent of Sony's annual revenue comes from North America...

A product cannot enter the North American market?
That would be the end of their lives!
"So, there is no solution to this problem?" Morita Akio folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, and said, "We should be able to get authorization now. Shouldn't we be in time?"

"You said before that Destiny Game only obtained a license to use the patent, rather than directly purchasing the patent. This fact means that the patent owner has a strong desire to make a profit. Therefore, as long as we can obtain the patent, we can still sell digital discs in North America."

"At most, it's just a little more money."

"And at this time, money is the least important thing, right?"

The president's question made Ohga Norio nod, "Of course."

But the next second, Ohga Norio said, "But obtaining the patent is not the most important thing right now. If Destiny Game is unwilling to reach a consensus with us on the standards, then it will be useless even if we obtain the patent, because the chaotic standards will make the promotion of digital discs meaningless."

"More importantly, if Destiny Game, or Ethan Jones, firmly rejects all of our technologies, then even if we sell digital discs first, even if we get the patent, we won't be able to promote our own standards, because—"

At this point, Ohga Norio sighed.

The memories that suddenly popped up in his mind made him feel that the situation was extremely tricky.

Perhaps Ethan feels that he is strong enough with his patent barriers, but many times, a person's vision is limited, especially when there are too many industries around him.

On the plane back home, Norio Ohga carefully studied the information about the Game of Destiny, and then he discovered that Ethan Jones's will might really dominate the establishment of the CD standard.

Because all his industries can promote the development of CDs.

Let's not talk about the home consoles in the gaming field and Apple computers in the personal computer industry, because Sony and Philips of the Netherlands have not yet developed the stage of free data storage on CDs. In this case, even if the team hired by Ethan Jones is very powerful, it is impossible for them to be so far ahead.

As for the entertainment industry, Ethan Jones just rewrote the rules of Hollywood last month.

This is the most fatal thing at the moment.

"Now Destiny Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America. Although the Motion Picture Association of America has not made their membership public, according to Philips, several Hollywood moguls paid a heavy price in order to appease Ethan Jones and prevent him from making a big fuss."

"There are currently eight members of the Motion Picture Association of America, and Ethan Jones alone holds four votes. Of the remaining four, Warner and MGM are indeed his opponents, but it's hard to say about Columbia and Paramount. However, judging from the current situation..."

"They will most likely side with Ethan Jones."

"Because infringing on the interests of Warner and MGM will not bring too much consequences. Even if Warner and MGM are angry, it is just a struggle in the business field. But what if Ethan Jones is angered? No one knows what he will do next time."

"After all, every time he fought back before, it was beyond the thinking range of normal people."

"No normal businessman would stand up to him when he turned the table over and stopped playing when he suffered a loss."

"Under such circumstances, if Ethan Jones doesn't give in, who else can intervene in the formulation of North American CD standards? You know, the Hollywood moguls are the biggest consumers of CDs, and they have inseparable ties with those music companies."

"When Ethan Jones said he wanted people to use their own standards..."

"Even if Sony and Philips were to unite, we would not have any advantage in North America."

"Or..."

Ohga Norio smiled bitterly and said, "We don't have much advantage in the global market."

"President, you have seen the wave that Star Wars has created around the world. No country has been immune to the tsunami of public opinion that it has triggered. Everyone is looking forward to George Lucas' second movie. In this case, if Hollywood continues to produce similar movies, then Ethan Jones can naturally bring the optical disc standard to the world with the help of Hollywood's global expansion."

"Not to mention, he's now supporting Roy Disney."

"You know, if it weren't for the internal strife at Disney, they would have already promoted the theme park plans in Asia and Europe. Their influence on children is unparalleled. And when all Disney projects use Ethan Jones' standards... who are we going to sell our discs to?"

“We can only develop it a little bit in our own country.”

This fact made Akio Morita frown.

If Ethan Jones has the advantage in law, market, and content...

Then there is no point in fighting this battle.

Or rather——

If this deal is too small...

It’s better not to do it than to do it.

After a moment of silence, Morita Akio said in a deep voice: "Do you really think highly of the CD project?"

"Yes." Ohga Norio nodded. "If we can get it, it will definitely bring us huge benefits, because it can be used in many scenarios, for example--"

"car."

Ohga Norio started counting on his fingers.

"The car's onboard tape player can be replaced with a CD player."

“Users will enjoy higher quality music.”

"For example—"

"Home Player."

"With large capacity, they can meet more needs of users."

"The laser discs currently on the market require two to carry the content of a movie, but a digital disc only needs one, which can bring great convenience to the public."

"For example—"

"Storage for portable players and personal computers."

“It can be used in all these areas.”

"Its prospects are very broad, and it can definitely leverage a market worth tens of billions." "Then do you think optical storage has more prospects than magnetic storage?" asked Akio Morita.

Not only that, he also emphasized: "We will also launch our own music player this year."

"On tape."

"Uh..." Ohga Norio thought for a while and said, "I can't answer this question."

"I can only say that, judging from the current situation, it is more advantageous for us to study optical storage. Because there are fewer competitors, the threshold is low, and everyone is just starting out, so there is no real barrier. Even if -"

“There may suddenly be a leader in this industry.”

"Okay." Akio Morita tapped the table with his index finger to show that he understood. "Then let's continue our research."

"As for Ethan Jones's matter--"

Akio Morita hesitated for a moment and said, "I will make an appointment with the president of Nintendo."

"Find out how Nintendo has always had a close relationship with Destiny."

"It would be best if we could sit down and talk, but if that doesn't work out..."

"It's okay to touch it."

Akio Morita made the decision, "We are not the Sony of 30 years ago."

"Our country is no longer in the state of needing to be rebuilt as it was 30 years ago."

"We needed American technology back then, but now—"

"If we can't say no to those powerful forces, then what is the meaning of all the development over the years?"

"Besides, we are not without advantages, right?"

"We still have a very good working relationship with Columbia Records."

“Our music company is a joint venture with them.”

"Plus Philips is willing to cooperate, and they also have PolyGram..."

"From a global strategic perspective, we have the potential to win."

The president's words made Norio Ohga breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as the other party does not cut off the CD project team, it will be good news for him.

After all, Ethan Jones' words that day were really irritating.

He bowed and said goodbye. After Norio Ohga left, Akio Morita called his secretary and asked him to contact Nintendo. He wanted to meet with the old money of his country.

When the news reached Yamauchi Hiroshi, who was on vacation in Hokkaido, he waved to the secretary who reported the news and said, "Reply to Sony, I will go to Tokyo to visit you in three days."

"Then, call Julis, the supervisor of our chip manufacturing company, and tell her that Sony's chairman has approached me. She will pass the message on to her boss."

"Hi——" The secretary who received the order bowed in response.

As he left, Yamauchi Hiroshi, who was taking a bath in the hot spring, also laughed.

Looking up at the blue sky, he was very happy at the moment.

"Oh - this is really a blessing from God -"

"Every time we do something, Ethan Jones always gets in trouble?"

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Ethan was actually very clear about Yamauchi Hiroshi's happiness.

When he received the call from Julis, he knew that Yamauchi Hiroshi wanted to tell him that Sony was unwilling to give up and might continue to stalemate with him to the end.

This fact made Ethan chuckle and shake his head.

Since the opponents are not convinced, just beat them out!
When this idea came up, Ethan called Ballmer and said, "You call Robert Hall and tell him that I hope to see a CD audio player that can be held in your hand within two years."

"In three years, I'd like to see normal-sized disc video players."

“In four years, I hope he’ll be making free stock.”

"R&D funding is not a problem, and I believe he has the ability to do it."

"Then, you call David Geffen, the chairman of Destiny Music, and tell him that I want him to develop his Geffen Records in the shortest possible time."

"If he thinks a musician is good, he will sign him directly."

"Okay, boss." Steve Ballmer nodded and took notes.

Just as Ethan was about to wave him off to do his job, a figure suddenly appeared in his mind. This made him ask directly, "Steve, do you know Michael Jackson?"

"?" Ballmer was stunned for a moment, then said, "I know. He's a popular African-American singer."

"I heard that he has collaborated with Quincy Jones and is preparing to release a new album?"

“This year?”

“Oh—it seems you really like the entertainment industry.” Ethan said with a smile: “Since you have heard of his name, do you know which company he is in now?”

"It seems to be Epic Records under Columbia?"

"Is it difficult to dig him out?"

“???” The sudden question made Ballmer a little confused.

But he still answered his boss' question truthfully, "Uh - I don't know."

“Hahaha—” Ethan laughed out loud at the sincere words. He waved his hand and said, “Tell David Geffen to find a way to recruit Michael Jackson.”

"I have only one request."

"That was what got Michael Jackson signed to Destiny Music instead of his Geffen Records."

"You know?"

"Yeah~" Ballmer nodded.

Although he didn't understand why the boss did this, but——

It doesn't matter, right?

If a person wins once it may be luck, if he wins twice it may be God's blessing, but if he wins three or four times it only proves that the winner knows why he won.

As he left, Ethan leaned back in his boss chair with ease.

Although Destiny Music is now empty, David Geffen is not a vegetarian.

Although Destiny Music has nothing now, Ethan Jones understands who the awesome people are.

If only they could get Michael Jackson...

Sony and Philips have advantages in music?
Ah--

Die to me!
When Sony chose to fight, the first battle with digital discs ended with Ethan Jones' victory, at least that's what Ethan himself thought.

Just as he was thinking that the next match would not start until next year at the earliest, and that he could enjoy the hard-earned quiet time and focus on the game...

At 4 a.m. on March 28th, Eastern Time, the sky in Pennsylvania was—

It got light early.

(End of this chapter)