In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Having gained clear and unequivocal recognition and support from the organization, the invisible pressure on Yang Guangming's shoulders suddenly lessened considerably.

It was a sense of relief rising from the depths of the soul, as if a taut bowstring had finally been released, yet it had not lost its tension.

He no longer needs to worry about the source and nature of the funds, nor does he need to be constantly wary of possible internal scrutiny.

This mental liberation allowed him to dedicate himself to the next plan with a purer and more focused mindset.

He felt like a traveler who had finally shed his heavy burdens and was able to travel light, his gaze now able to focus more clearly on the distant horizon.

He was well aware that the success of Coca-Cola's deal was partly due to the "improved design of plastic bottled water" patent cleverly addressing a market pain point, but it was also inseparable from the key connections of Larson's old classmate, as well as Coca-Cola's unique business efficiency and strategic vision as an industry giant—they could quickly identify value and make decisive decisions.

There is an element of luck involved.

This successful model relies on specific personal connections, a specific corporate culture, and a specific market window, making it difficult to simply replicate on other patent projects.

He was keenly aware that he could not regard accidental luck as an inevitable law.

However, this glorious victory was like a boulder thrown into a still pond, and the ripples it created were spreading in ways he had not fully anticipated, subtly changing the course of events and the attitudes of those around him.

The most direct and significant change came from the three patent agents who signed contracts with him.

Needless to say, lawyer Ernest Larson not only earned a hefty commission in this deal, but also further solidified his reputation in the industry for his "keen eye" and "skill in handling high-value patents."

His law firm thus attracted more clients seeking to commercialize high-value patents, further enhancing its reputation.

The other two agents—Mark Jennings, who focuses on consumer products, and the smaller but more diversified patent brokerage firm—changed their attitudes noticeably after learning of the record-breaking deal between Sunshine and Coca-Cola.

Initially, while they were optimistic about the patent portfolio offered by Sunshine, they may still have had some doubts. Their previous enthusiasm also contained an element of testing and cautious optimism.

But the real-life case of $1.6 million was like a thunderclap, and like a powerful stimulant, completely dispelling their concerns.

This real-money transaction not only eloquently proves that these patents do indeed contain enormous market value that can be recognized by top companies, but also proves that Yang Guangming, this young Easterner, is by no means a mere theorist.

He possesses the ability, the courage, and a certain unseen foresight to conduct complex business negotiations with top global companies and achieve outstanding results.

He is not just a scholar or inventor with some interesting ideas, but a business partner with unlimited potential who deserves to be taken seriously, and even a potential "benefactor".

Therefore, in subsequent communications, Yang Guangming could clearly feel that Mark Jennings and others were much more enthusiastic and devoted almost all their energy and resources to the commercial promotion of these patents.

Their email replies became more prompt, the potential buyer analysis reports they provided were more detailed, the frequency of their proactive communications increased significantly, and their words showed a newfound respect and enthusiasm.

Mark Jennings, in particular, saw Sunshine's patent list, especially those related to everyday consumer goods, as a key opportunity to advance his career. He poured immense enthusiasm into it, frequently traveling between the East and West coasts and utilizing almost every connection he could.

However, market reactions are not always smooth sailing, nor do they always turn out as desired.

Despite the efforts of all three agents in actively engaging with potential buyers within their respective channels, the subsequent commercialization of the patents was far less smooth and swift than Coca-Cola's experience.

Several organizations have expressed initial interest in certain items on the list, such as "hand warmers," "improved electric toothbrushes," or the "frequent flyer program" framework, and have begun preliminary negotiations.

However, there is a huge gap between the two parties' expectations regarding specific pricing and cooperation models.

Potential buyers either believe that these "improved" inventions have limited commercial potential and offer cautious and conservative prices, often hovering in the range of $100,000; or they impose numerous restrictive clauses on the licensing model, attempting to minimize the patent holder's profits and completely transfer the risk.

The quotes that Yang Guangming conveyed through his agents, based on his foresight into the future market size of these technologies and his understanding of their revolutionary potential, often appeared "impractical" and "too radical" to the other party.

They couldn't understand why this young man had such great confidence in these "trinkets".

After several rounds of negotiations, although there were occasional sparks of discussion, no substantial cooperation agreement was reached.

Time slipped by quietly amidst waiting and occasional sporadic discussions. On the Stanford campus, the breath of spring grew stronger, oak trees sprouted new buds, the grass was lush and green, and academic life proceeded in an orderly fashion, as if in another parallel, tranquil world.

Yang Guangming was not anxious about this, nor did he show much disappointment.

He knew perfectly well that patent commercialization was a long and unpredictable process that required patience, opportunity, and a precise grasp of timing.

While steadily advancing his doctoral research, under the guidance of Professor Hoffman, he conducted in-depth explorations in the fundamental theoretical field of artificial intelligence. Occasionally, he would put forward some forward-looking ideas that were ahead of their time, which always attracted his mentor's praise and thoughtful gaze.

On the other hand, he was like a calm and patient hunter, carefully analyzing the cards in his hand, calmly observing the slightest changes in the market, and waiting for his best opportunity.

He astutely noticed that while the three agents were also working hard to promote other patents, they all placed their greatest hopes and main efforts on one patent—the "two-wheeled suitcase," which Yang Guangming regarded as one of the trump cards, capable of changing the way people travel around the world.

The ingenuity of this patent and the enormous market potential it foreshadows are beyond doubt.

Whoever successfully manages this patent will not only receive extremely generous commissions, but will also establish their authoritative position in the patent intermediary field and become a legend of "turning stone into gold".

A silent competition surrounding this core patent has quietly begun among the three agents.

In this silent competition, intermediary Mark Jennings, with his deep experience in the consumer goods sector, made the first breakthrough.

Leveraging the network he had built up during his time as a research and development director at a major consumer goods company, and through extensive efforts and careful preparation, he finally established contact with a senior vice president at Samsonite, the recognized leader in the global luggage market, and successfully delivered information on the "two-wheeled suitcase" to the decision-making level.

Samson Knight was a crown jewel in the American luggage market of the 1970s, a synonym for quality and reputation.

Sold through a vast network of department stores and specialty stores, it is renowned for the durability and classic design of its products, making it the most common and trusted luggage brand for American families traveling, especially with the increasing popularity of air travel.

At the time, the mainstream products were still hard-sided trunks, mostly made of cardboard, wood, or early hard plastics, with surfaces covered in durable textiles, leather, or vinyl. Samsonite was a leader and market guardian in this type of traditional hard-sided trunk product.

Mark Jennings did not simply send out the patent documents.

He poured a great deal of effort into preparing a detailed business plan, combining the exquisite renderings and persuasive market analysis provided by Yang Guangming, and vividly explained how the "two-wheeled suitcase" would completely change people's travel experience and free travelers' shoulders and hands.

It is predicted that this will be the most significant and thorough revolutionary innovation in the luggage industry since hard-sided suitcases replaced wooden suitcases, enough to reshape the market landscape.

His efforts were not in vain.

This forward-thinking and enticing information successfully attracted the attention of Samsonite's management.

As industry leaders, they harbor a complex mix of vigilance and anticipation towards any innovation that could disrupt the existing market landscape and threaten their dominant position—they fear being left behind by new technologies while simultaneously yearning to control them to maintain their lead.

After initial internal assessments and intense discussions, Samsonite quickly decided to send a three-person negotiation team—comprising a marketing director, a product development manager, and an intellectual property lawyer—to San Francisco to conduct formal, face-to-face talks with the patent holder.

This in itself demonstrates their serious attitude towards this innovation.

When Yang Guangming received the message from Mark Jennings, he was in a quiet corner of the library, reviewing the latest literature on machine learning and immersing himself in the abstract world of symbolic logic and probabilistic models.

He put down the heavy academic paper in his hand, and a calm expression appeared on his face as expected.

Samson Knight's arrival was part of his plan.

This patent, which is enough to change the industry, will inevitably attract the attention of industry giants, and Samsonite, as the leader, will naturally be the first to be affected.

He immediately had a detailed discussion with Mark Jennings, clarifying the basic principles and bottom line of the negotiations—the core being the buyout price, with a bottom line of $15 million and an offer of $25 million, and emphasizing the long-term value and strategic significance of the patent.

In fact, Yang Guangming's real bottom line wasn't that high. He knew the buyout price was hard to negotiate, and his real bottom line was ten million US dollars.

However, he knew clearly that his core interests were not entirely the same as those of his agent, and he could not reveal his true bottom line to the other party.

A few days later, in a well-equipped conference room at another business hotel in San Francisco's financial district, Yang Guangming sat down at the negotiating table again.

This time, he was accompanied only by Mark Jennings. Jennings, on the other hand, adopted the typical demeanor of a large corporation; all three were dressed in suits and ties, their expressions serious.

As expected, Samsonite's team demonstrated the composure, prudence, and confidence characteristic of a long-established giant.

Their marketing director, a middle-aged man with neatly combed hair and a well-tailored dark suit, named Robert Jenkins, got straight to the point, expressing the company's strong interest in the "two-wheeled suitcase" design concept.

He acknowledged that the design does address some long-standing pain points for travelers, has obvious market potential, and may even create a niche market.

However, when the topic shifted to the core business terms, their stance became unusually firm and conservative. "We at Samsonite have always preferred to completely acquire ownership of valuable patents."

The marketing director spoke with an unquestionable confidence, as if stating an industry standard: "This best aligns with our company's consistent global strategy, brand management, and supply chain integration requirements."

We are willing to offer five million US dollars to acquire all ownership and all derivative rights to this patent worldwide.

He stated the number in a calm tone, as if it were a very fair, even slightly generous, offer.

Five million dollars!
In 1979, this figure was undoubtedly an astronomical number that would make most people dizzy, a wealth that many people could never achieve in their lifetime.

Upon hearing the offer, Mark Jennings's breathing quickened involuntarily, and a complex light, a mixture of excitement and regret, flashed in his eyes.

According to the tiered commission calculation agreement he previously signed with Yang Guangming, even if it is only calculated at an 8% rate, this is still a huge commission of up to 400,000 US dollars!
This was already a huge success for him.

However, he immediately realized that this number was far from the bottom line that Yang Guangming had previously stated.

Yang Guangming sat there, his face calm as still water, without even the slightest fluctuation in his eyes.

Five million dollars, which is exactly half of the minimum value he set for the patent at ten million dollars.

His bottom line for negotiations, as he told Mark Jennings, was $15 million, while the initial offer was $25 million.

The gap was so large that he couldn't even muster the desire to bargain.

Meeting Robert Jenkins' confident gaze, he slowly, yet with an undeniable firmness, shook his head, his tone calm and clear: "Thank you for the offer from Samsonite. However, five million dollars is far from reflecting the true value of this patent and the huge market it may create in the future."

Instead of personally engaging in lengthy technical or value arguments, he turned his attention to Mark Jennings beside him. This was a clear signal, and it was also the duty of an agent.

Mark Jennings immediately understood and forcefully suppressed his regret. As an agent, this was the moment for him to demonstrate his professional value and negotiation skills.

He took a deep breath, took out the more detailed information he had prepared beforehand, and began to cite numerous sources, explaining from multiple perspectives why this patent was worth 25 million US dollars, including the size of the global travel market, the prevalence and intensity of user pain points, the enhancement of Samsonite's brand image by this innovation, and even the revolutionary impact it may have on the entire luggage industry.

He emphasized that this patent is not a simple improvement on the design, but a groundbreaking patent that creates a completely new product category – “trolley suitcase”. Its value should be measured by the total global market size and brand premium over the next twenty years, rather than by the old product value system.

Samson Knight's team was clearly well-prepared.

Their product development manager pointed out from a technical perspective that achieving large-scale, low-cost, and highly reliable production of this rod and wheel system may require overcoming technological challenges, suggesting that its final cost could be high, affecting pricing and market acceptance.

Intellectual property lawyers carefully reviewed the patent documents, questioning whether the scope of protection was sufficiently comprehensive and whether there was a risk that competitors could easily circumvent the design and launch similar products to circumvent infringement.

They are trying to diminish the value of patents at various levels to justify their low-price strategy.

The negotiations have become a tough tug-of-war.

Under pressure from Mark Jennings' strong rebuttal and Sunny's calm and collected demeanor, Samsonite managed to raise the price to six million, then to six and a half million, but refused to make any further significant increases.

Their reasoning sounds compelling and realistic: the company's massive cash flow needs to be used to maintain its existing global production and distribution network, as well as marketing, and it cannot afford to take a high-risk gamble on a "design concept" that has not yet been rigorously tested by the market.

They emphasized that Samsonite's success was built on sound management.

Seeing that they could not reach an agreement on the buyout price, Samsonite's team opted for a compromise and proposed an exclusive licensing agreement, attempting to acquire the technology with lower upfront costs and risks.

“If we can’t agree on a buyout price, we can also consider an exclusive licensing model.” Marketing Director Robert proactively changed the negotiation approach. “We can pay a patent licensing fee of three percent of the final retail price of the product. This is a fairly reasonable percentage for a new design.”

Yang Guangming shook his head inwardly. Three percent? That was far below his expectations.

After another round of bargaining, Samsonite symbolically increased the licensing fee to five percent.

Mark Jennings privately hinted to Yang Ming that if the pressure continued, they might be able to secure another one or two percentage points of improvement, reaching six or seven percent.

But Yang Guangming secretly prefers a one-time buyout.

While exclusive licensing may bring long-term, continuous revenue, it is fraught with uncertainty—will Samsonite genuinely and wholeheartedly promote this new category that could potentially disrupt its existing product line? How quickly will the market accept it? How will future competitors emerge? Will it continue to generate high revenue throughout the patent's validity period?
These all require a long period of time to verify.

What he currently desires most is a certain amount of money that he can freely allocate and immediately invest in the next, even larger, project.

For him, time is a resource infinitely more valuable than long-term, uncertain returns.

With the price difference too large and the cooperation model not being the optimal choice, he decisively signaled to Mark Jennings to temporarily terminate the hopeless negotiations, indicating that he needed time to consider the matter.

After seeing Samsonite's team off, Mark Jennings could not hide his disappointment and exhaustion.

The huge commission that had been in hand seemed to have grown wings and flown away, and all the previous efforts seemed to have been in vain.

Yang Guangming understood his feelings, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Mark, don't be discouraged. Samsonite isn't the only option, and their offer didn't truly recognize the disruptive value this patent can bring."

Their conservatism presents an opportunity for challengers. By continuing to search for other potential buyers, I believe we will find more discerning and courageous companies.

His composure, confidence, and clear understanding of the market situation inspired Mark Jennings. The agent rallied, stating he would immediately contact other luggage manufacturers and would not give up.

Shortly after negotiations with Samson Knight stalled, exciting news came from lawyer Ernest Larson.

He used his extensive network in the legal and business world to contact Samsonite's strongest competitor in the market.

At this time, Samsonite was in a phase of rapid brand growth and ambitious challenges to industry leaders.

It is known for its active investment in innovation and its aggressive marketing, especially in the development and promotion of lighter soft-sided suitcases and early simple wheeled suitcases, where it has spared no effort in catching up with industry leaders.

By 1979, through a series of successful products and marketing strategies, it had firmly secured a top-two position in the market, posing a direct threat to Samsonite's dominant position.

As a market challenger, Samsonite has a stronger desire and a more open and flexible attitude than Samsonite for any innovative technology that can help it overtake competitors, disrupt the existing market landscape, or even redefine industry standards.

They are more willing to pay a premium for technologies that could potentially change the game.

With his solid reputation in the legal profession, professional presentation skills, and accurate explanation of the patent's value, Attorney Larson successfully aroused great attention and strong interest from Samsonite's senior management in the "two-wheeled suitcase" patent.

The negotiation team sent by Samsonite was superior to Samsonite's in terms of both its scale, such as the vice president in charge of innovation personally leading the team, and the sincerity and enthusiasm it showed.

Their initial buyout offer was a whopping seven million dollars.

This starting point, already higher than Samsonite's final offer, clearly demonstrates Samsonite's determination to win and its more astute value judgment.

A new round of negotiations began, and Yang Guangming once again joined forces with lawyer Ernest Larson.

Larson demonstrated his strong capabilities as a seasoned patent attorney and experienced negotiator.

He not only ensured the patent's stability from a legal perspective, refuting any doubts about its easy circumvention, but also proceeded strategically in business negotiations, citing relevant precedents and elevating the patent's strategic value to a level concerning the company's future—

Should we continue to follow the trend, or lead it? Should we be content with the existing market, or create a completely new and huge incremental market?
The price climbed laboriously through a professional and intense negotiation between the two parties. Eight million, nine million…

Larson skillfully used Samson Knight as leverage to continuously apply pressure.

Ultimately, Samsonite raised the buyout price to ten million US dollars.

Their negotiators emphasized that this was the highest buyout price they could offer based on optimistic expectations for the future market.

This price has crossed the bottom line that Yang Guangming had set in his mind.

Looking at the questioning gaze from Larson's lawyer, Yang Guangming began to waver. After all, ten million dollars was no small sum; even for large companies, it was difficult to come up with such a large amount of cash easily.

His initial offer of $25 million was reduced to $18 million after several rounds of concessions.

The two sides are once again deadlocked at the ten million dollar mark.

Samsonite's negotiators frankly stated that ten million US dollars was almost the limit of the company's current cash flow that could be utilized without affecting normal operations and investment in existing projects. Exceeding this figure would put pressure on the company's financial situation and would require special approval from the board of directors, a prospect they were not optimistic about. (End of Chapter)