Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 489 Microsoft's Sanctions

“Director Chen, President Qian.” Li Weiwei’s voice was not loud, but her words were clear: “The value of IBM software, just like the former dominance of Microsoft operating systems, is beyond doubt.”

She deliberately emphasized the word "once" and continued, "But the realization of value requires fertile ground. In the past twenty days, our Momo Group's Moc-os system has covered 141478 internet cafes nationwide and been deployed on 18784521 terminals with zero promotion fees and zero mandatory installation fees, impacting more than 80 million users daily."

Li Weiwei continued, "Microsoft has never achieved this speed and scale in the ten years since it entered China. What does this prove? It proves that what the Chinese market needs is a technology ecosystem that can benefit the general public, not something that is built on high price barriers and can only be admired by a few."

Chen Li's standard smile froze for a moment, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

He was about to retort when Li Weiwei gave him no chance. She opened the laptop next to her and gently pushed it to the center of the table.

On the screen is a curve that rises almost vertically.

"This is the global download distribution and real-time growth trend of Moc-OS Home Edition over the past 72 hours since its global release." Li Weiwei's voice remained calm as she said, "Based on this download data, do you think you're opening up your software library to us just to sell a few software licenses?"

Her gaze finally settled on Qian Buqun's face, and she said, "I think this is not the kind of vision IBM should have."

The meeting room fell silent.

At this moment, Li Weiwei had taken the initiative in the negotiation. She leaned forward slightly and said, word by word, "Director Chen, President Qian, actually, when I came here, our President Cheng had already informed me of the bottom line for the negotiation."

Upon hearing Li Weiwei's words, Qian Buqun's gaze fell upon Li Weiwei.

Li Weiwei said, "We want to permanently license all the core industrial software on the list. The one-time buyout package price will be 20% of your current standard price. This is Momo's bottom line and a reasonable price that our Moc-os ecosystem can offer to help you compete with Microsoft."

"Twenty percent? That's impossible!" Chen Li exclaimed angrily, "President Li, are you joking? This is a complete denial of the value of IBM's global intellectual property. We cannot accept such an absurd condition!"

He looked excitedly at Qian Buqun, seeking his support.

Qian Buqun's face also darkened.

This price is indeed too low, especially considering it's a perpetual license.

A refusal? It means that IBM might extinguish this small flame that could ignite in Microsoft's heartland.

Accept it? IBM's global software licensing system would face an unprecedented shock, and he would be unable to explain it to headquarters.

Time passes by minute by minute, and every second seems as long as a century.

Finally, Qian Buqun slowly leaned back in his chair and said in a low, deliberate voice, "President Li's conditions are very challenging."

“However, such a significant licensing model and price adjustment is far beyond my decision-making authority.” He turned his gaze to Chen Li, whose face was ashen, and said, “Director Chen, please compile it into a top priority report as requested by General Manager Li and urgently submit it to the Global Software Licensing Committee and Strategic Investment Department at headquarters.”

He looked at Li Weiwei again and smiled, "Ms. Li, we need time."

“I understand.” Li Weiwei nodded slightly, gracefully put away her laptop, and smiled. “We need time too. After all, Microsoft’s counterattack won’t wait for anyone. We hope that IBM’s decision-making speed can keep up with the pace of change in the Chinese market.”

After saying this, she nodded politely to Qian Buqun and Chen Li, then turned and left the conference room.

At this moment, all the core members of the Global Software Licensing Committee were seated in the top-floor conference room of IBM's headquarters in New York.

On the screen in the conference room, an urgent report from Qian Buqun in Yanjing and a draft of clauses marked by Li Weiwei at 20% were displayed.

This urgent report also plunged members of the Global Software Licensing Council into a lengthy debate.

Conservatives insist that the sanctity of IBM's intellectual property rights should not be desecrated, and that a 20% buyout would be tantamount to self-destruction.

Radicals, on the other hand, see this as an excellent springboard for IBM to regain control of the software ecosystem.

The two sides were deadlocked for nearly two hours before finally agreeing on a cooperation plan.

[Qian Buqun is authorized to handle and execute the core industrial software licensing plan. The perpetual license package price is set at 35% of the current standard price. Additional conditions: IBM industrial software will become the preferred and deeply certified partner in the Moc-os government and enterprise market promotion, enjoying exclusive promotional rights. Momo must commit to pre-installing or prioritizing the recommendation of IBM-designated software on Moc-os for the next three years.]

The snow finally stopped in Yanjing the next morning, but the chill was even more intense.

Qian Buqun looked at the final authorization order sent from New York, and a sense of relief and exhaustion appeared on his face.

Although he was the president of IBM's China region, he genuinely hoped that Momo Group could successfully negotiate with IBM.

Because he also wanted to see just how far this domestically developed system could go.

Qian Buqun informed Li Weiwei of the headquarters' decision, saying, "President Li, this is the decision of our headquarters. We really can't lower it any further."

After listening quietly to Qian Buqun's exclusivity clause and pre-installation requirements, Li Weiwei smiled and said, "President Qian, we appreciate your sincerity. I will report to President Cheng immediately. If there are no problems, we will officially sign the contract."

After hanging up the phone, Li Weiwei breathed a sigh of relief and immediately reported the result to Cheng Yi.

Li Weiwei is a business negotiation expert, which is why Cheng Yi sent her over.

Their goal in this negotiation was actually to obtain a permanent license, not to haggle over the price.

However, Li Weiwei made perpetual licensing a basic condition from the beginning, and put the price, which Momo Group didn't care about, at the forefront, completely diverting IBM's attention.

When they were discussing whether it should be 30% or 20%, they overlooked the issue of the authorization period.

This struggle over the lifeline of industry has finally come to a temporary end with limited concessions from IBM and a strategic victory for Momo Group.

Although the cost was considerable, they finally had the key to the government and enterprise market in their hands.

Without this, no matter how much the National Information Industry Association supports it, it's just verbal support, since even the National Information Industry Association uses Microsoft's systems and software.

While Momo Group and Jinshan Group were working hard to optimize the system and industrial software interface, Microsoft held an emergency press conference at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, USA, which attracted global attention.

Under the spotlight, Microsoft's Senior Vice President of Global Legal Affairs, a blonde woman known for her tough stance, read out the statement with a stern expression:

"Based on solid evidence, Microsoft today formally filed a lawsuit and a Section 337 investigation application with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and the U.S. International Trade Commission!"

At that moment, her voice also resonated throughout the world through the microphone:

"We are accusing Huaxia Momo Group and its affiliated companies of systematically and on a large scale infringing on multiple core patents of Microsoft's operating system during the development and promotion of its Moc-os operating system. Furthermore, its icebreaker plug-in technology blatantly circumvents technical protection measures, constituting a serious violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act!"

She displayed several thick documents and a row of patent numbers, the camera zooming in to create a sense of overwhelming pressure.

"We hereby request the court to immediately issue an injunction prohibiting Momo Group from selling, distributing, or promoting its infringing Moc-os operating system and related plugins in the United States and all related markets that recognize US patents! At the same time, we request the ITC to launch an investigation and ultimately prohibit any terminal devices equipped with the infringing Moc-os system from entering the global market!"

"They've really gone all out," Cheng Yi said, lying on his computer chair in his apartment, watching the recorded broadcast of the press conference with a broad smile.

Lin Qingyin, standing to the side, glanced at Cheng Yi with some confusion and asked, "Cheng Yi, isn't this a serious problem? Why are you still so happy?" Cheng Yi smiled and said, "This shows that Microsoft's battle is at a stalemate, and they don't have time to pay attention to us."

"Huh?" Lin Qingyin didn't understand.

Cheng Yi stood up and said with a smile, "Tomorrow is the Little New Year. Let's pack up and go home for the New Year."

“Aren’t we still working overtime to optimize the government and enterprise version?” Lin Qingyin said.

"There's no rush," Cheng Yi said. "We just need to get it done before the government and enterprises make bulk purchases in the spring."

Cheng Yi had thought that Microsoft would invest money and effort to crush them, but he never expected that the final result would be a public sanction.

Are sanctions effective?
It's useful, but not much.

Microsoft's announcement will make many computer companies hesitant to pre-install the Moc-OS system, but they cannot stop users from downloading and installing it on older computers.

In retrospect, the news of their purchase of IBM's industrial software library likely reached Microsoft.

After all, there are too many commercial spies on both sides to count.

With its complete online game ecosystem and software ecosystem, Moc-os has already established a firm foothold in China.

Based on Cheng Yi's understanding of Microsoft, he estimates that Microsoft will be coming to negotiate soon.

Just like when they negotiated with WPS back then.

To put it bluntly, this press conference was a show of force; their real strategy lies in the upcoming negotiations.

They first flexed their muscles, then negotiated in soft, gentle voices.

Destroy competitors through coercion and enticement.

This is a trick they often use.

Now, all he has to do is wait for Microsoft to come to him for negotiations.

He has no intention of going to war with Microsoft right now. Besides, if Momo Group and Microsoft really fight, the fish will definitely die, and whether the net will break is another matter.

In business warfare, timing is crucial.

He just wants to develop peacefully right now. If Microsoft gives him another year, then he will really dare to go head-to-head with Microsoft.

After Cheng Yi figured out the pros and cons, he got up and picked up Lin Qingyin, who was still eating yogurt, and carried her around the waist.

"Huh? What?"

"Let's play games in bed!"

While Cheng Yi was teaching Lin Qingyin the Thirty-Six Forms, the operating system research and development center at Handong University was still brightly lit.

The largest laboratory was temporarily converted into the command center for the attack.

On one side was the Moc-os core team led by Yu Sen, and on the other side was the Jinshan WPS elite development team personally overseen by Lei Jun.

"Teacher Yu, have you received the industrial software adaptation interface documentation from IBM?" Lei Jun's voice was a little hoarse, but his spirits were exceptionally high.

The three monitors in front of him were covered with WPS's underlying architecture diagrams and Moc-os's API call logs.

"I just got some of the API documentation for the core CAD software, but I'm still working on the EDA and CAE ones." Yu Sen rubbed his throbbing temples. There were also piles of technical documents in front of him. He said, "Damn it, IBM's documentation is like gibberish. Many interface definitions are vague. I guess they deliberately left something out."

"Never mind that! Focus on what we can get first." Lei Jun waved his hand and shouted to the key members of his team: "Old Wang, you lead the team to tackle the SolidWorks interface. Old Li, AutoCAD is your responsibility. Xiao Zhang, keep an eye on UG/NX. Use the documents we have and our system characteristics to force an adaptation. Write down any problems you encounter and report them to IBM to put pressure on them."

"I estimate that we won't be able to meet the government and enterprise procurement targets this year." Yu Sen was too familiar with the system. Seeing the current progress of the industrial software, he knew that Cheng Yi had been making empty promises to them.

That son of a bitch, he's completely useless when it comes to personnel matters.

The government and enterprise procurement process will begin in two months, and the current system simply doesn't have time to build the supporting industrial software.

This truly proves the saying: "When the leader opens his mouth, the employees are exhausted."

Yu Sen couldn't help but glance at Lei Jun. Seeing Lei Jun bustling around like he was on steroids, Yu Sen couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

This guy still lacks social experience.

On the second day, the eve of the Lunar New Year, Microsoft's counterattack against WPS finally arrived.

Microsoft China's official website and global Windows Update servers simultaneously pushed out the emergency security update KB434523453.

The update notes are presented in a grand and respectable manner: "A critical vulnerability that could have allowed system security mechanisms to be bypassed has been fixed. All users are strongly advised to install immediately to ensure system security."

However, once this patch is forcibly or induced to install, the nightmare truly begins.

Many users who are using WPS to process documents have encountered frequent and unpredictable software crashes.

Sometimes it happens when you're typing text, sometimes after you've inserted a chart, and sometimes it's just when you're simply scrolling through the page.

Crash reports are incredibly varied, pointing to all sorts of different system modules.

At this moment, social media and major IT forums exploded.

"Damn it! After installing that Microsoft patch, WPS became completely unusable! All the reports I was working on are gone!"

"Me too! It collapsed without warning! Microsoft is trying to wipe us out completely!"

"This is disgusting! It's clearly targeting WPS! And they're using security as a pretext!"

"Where's Momo's icebreaker? Jinshan, speak up! Didn't you say it could break ice?"

"Icebreakers are for breaking document locks, which is for damaging system patches! They're different things!"

Domestic online public opinion quickly became polarized.

Some users angrily denounced Microsoft's despicable tactics, while others began to question the stability of WPS and the previous promises made by Momo Group.

(End of this chapter)