America: My Time

Chapter 281 The Allure of Patents

Chapter 281 The Temptation of Patents
The Japanese aren't stupid; what they want is Bell Labs' mobile communication technology patents. Otherwise, why would they cooperate with Global Online and hand over their own communications market? It's all about the lure of patents.

John knew this, and that's why he accepted it. Was the patent important? It was indeed very important, but you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Without this patent, how could he get those guys in Japan to willingly give up their market share? Fifty percent of the shares would be enough for Bell Labs to reap huge profits. You reap what you sow.

John felt he had profited, Bell Labs had profited, and the Japanese felt they had profited as well; they got the patents they wanted from Bell Labs, and that was enough. It was precisely because both sides felt they had benefited that they cooperated so happily.

Bell Labs hasn't stopped its patent research, and the CDMA communication patent is under accelerated development. With Bell Labs in hand, John doesn't want this patent to fall into Qualcomm's hands, even if Qualcomm doesn't exist now; patent development can't stop. With the cooperation with Japan, Bell Labs now has an additional source of income and more security; at least they have the Japanese market under their control.

“No problem. Bell Labs is ready to license the patents. We can even license the rights related to mobile phones if you need them. It’s not an issue. Cooperation needs to be win-win. Only in this way can our cooperation last. Bell Labs is currently focused on research and development, not manufacturing. Japan will be our best partner!”

These words, coming from John, seemed quite convincing. At least John had a good reputation in Japan, because these guys in Japan had all made money by cooperating with John. So this time, Akio Morita and his team didn't see any problem with it and thought that everything was indeed feasible.

John made such a surprising decision to give the Japanese a bargain because ASUS Semiconductor in Taiwan couldn't handle all the contract manufacturing yet and needed to continue expanding. However, their mobile communications strategy couldn't stop, and if he didn't speed up his takeover of Japan, the Europeans might succeed.

This situation is not only happening in Japan, but also in other Asian countries. Everything is market-driven; take control of the market first, and only by having the market in your own hands can you have a future.

"John, are you serious? Bell Labs can license its patents on mobile communications and mobile phones to us?" Akio Morita's eyes lit up when he heard this; it was a tempting offer.

“That’s right. Bell Labs will not refuse if you need it. After all, we are not a manufacturing company. We only do research and development. Naturally, we need to find contract manufacturers for production. Just like in the game world, we can also license our patents if you need them.”

"Then it's a pleasure to cooperate. Sony is interested in this patent!" Akio Morita immediately decided to secure the patent license first, and discuss the price later. At this moment, Akio Morita couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "If only the Americans were all this 'kind-hearted'."

After John finally reached an agreement with the Japanese guys, before he even returned to his New York residence, he received a call from his grandfather Martin, who asked him to come back to the family sometime so he could discuss something with John.

When John received the call, his mood turned somewhat heavy. His grandfather, Martin, wanting him to return to the family at this time clearly indicated something important, perhaps even related to the donkey incident, but other possibilities couldn't be ruled out, such as a marriage alliance. Although John was now free from the family's constraints and no longer had inheritance rights, there were still voices within the family, some intentionally or unintentionally trying to push for his personal life. If he hadn't extricated himself from the family's vortex, he would likely have faced considerable restrictions; after all, the interests he held were too great, tempting those individuals.

John couldn't believe his family was completely unaware of his time in New York, especially after his battle with the Lehman Brothers. His grandfather hadn't even called him back under those circumstances, so this sudden request made John cautious. There were simply too many 'enemies' watching him now, forcing John to be on his guard.

John had originally intended to reach an acquisition agreement with Morgan and Rockefeller as soon as possible, but now it seemed he would have to postpone it for a few days. As for the beautiful women beside him, John didn't see any problem with it, and didn't think there was anything wrong with bringing them to meet his grandfather. In John's view, regardless of whether anyone wanted to interfere in his personal affairs, he couldn't give them the opportunity. Once they had a wrong impression, he would be in big trouble. John knew very well what those greedy members of the family were capable of; they were capable of anything.

After John shared his thoughts with his parents, he couldn't help but sigh. It seemed his parents were under considerable pressure as well. Fortunately, they wouldn't interfere in his personal life, which put John at ease. As for the women around him, his parents had no objections or intentions. Their reaction—that John could bring these beauties to the family home to meet his grandparents—made his parents, far away in San Francisco, sigh again. They hadn't expected John to react so strongly to his personal life.

"Get ready to come back to my family tomorrow!" The four beauties were taken aback by John's words, surprised by his sudden announcement. Although Naoko and Ye Qianwen had met John's parents, they had never met his grandparents, so they were still shocked.

Is it really possible for them to gain the approval of John's family? As Japanese-born Naoko Kawai and Akina Nakamori, they are well aware of how strict the rules of large families are and how much pressure John has to bear to make such a decision!

"Is it appropriate?" Naoko asked, taking a deep breath. At this moment, Naoko had no choice but to speak up, because the other three beauties were all looking at her. After all, she was the first to meet John's family and the first to gain the approval of John's parents. At this moment, she could only ask what everyone was thinking.

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. The main thing is for you to meet your grandparents. You don't need to worry about anything else!" John also hoped to reach a consensus with his grandparents on his personal matters this time, so that the family would stop interfering with him. As his net worth continued to rise, the family members became even more greedy.

The next morning, John's convoy left New York. When news of John's departure spread, the old Rockefellers panicked. Their deal wasn't even finalized, and this young man had already left New York. What was he planning? Was he going to reject the acquisition?

Soon, Rockefeller and the other old guys approached Morgan, wanting to know what was going on behind the scenes. These old guys were very concerned about this matter. Fortunately, Morgan quickly provided an explanation. Before leaving New York, John also communicated with Morgan, saying that he needed to go back to his family and that the acquisition would be postponed for a few days.

John didn't say what it was about, and Morgan wouldn't ask. It was a private matter for Morgan to inquire about, and acquisitions also require time to consider and gather more information. It's not something that can be done on a whim. The old guys like Rockefeller were in a hurry because they had a huge interest in it, but John wasn't in a hurry. After all, such acquisitions are risky.

"You mean John wants to go back to Delaware? Looks like some people are getting restless. But thinking about it, it's understandable. If those guys don't resolve their conflicts quickly, they'll suffer even more blows. Legendary Entertainment Media is no longer hiding its dissatisfaction with Donkey, and Donkey's situation is quite awkward. However, the timing of these guys' actions is too unfavorable. Couldn't they have waited until the acquisition was over before discussing this? They're putting us under this kind of pressure for no reason!"

"Alright, stop complaining. No matter how much you complain, it won't change anything. Instead of complaining, you should think about how to win over this kid. This kid is getting too close to Japan, so we need to be more vigilant. As far as I know, this kid's cooperation with Japan has already begun, and Bell Labs is willing to license its patents to Japan. Do you know what that means?"

When Morgan finished speaking, the expressions of these old men changed. They naturally understood what this meant: Bell Labs would no longer lack funds, at least not in the short term, and would have more energy to devote to expansion. This was not good news; without financial pressure, they would unleash even greater potential.

The sheer amount of energy a well-funded Bell Labs could unleash under the guidance of the cunning John was a cause for concern. Bell Labs had undergone a qualitative transformation; these old fogies were now fully aware of all its research and development efforts, at least its major strategic directions. This fueled their anxieties. If Bell Labs continued its reckless expansion, it might soon become even more terrifying and powerful than Dream World, Game World, and Nvidia, given the sheer number of patents it held.

(End of this chapter)