章節 491: Chapter 491: Want to Annex Ichi Bridge Group?
Tokyo is located on the eastern coast of the island nation, and its climate is a typical subtropical maritime monsoon climate, with heavy rainfall in November and December.
Yesterday, Tokyo's sky was clear, but today it was overcast with heavy clouds, indicating an impending downpour. The atmosphere in the city felt oppressive, and pedestrians hurried home.
The gloomy atmosphere outside was mirrored in the Xianghe family hall.
At this moment, Xianghe Kōhei, Xianghe Ichirō, and Xianghe Reitarō were kneeling on tatami mats, staring at the summons from the Tokyo District Court, marked with a red seal. Their faces were grim, and a heavy, tense air filled the room.
After a long silence, Xianghe Kōhei, as the head of the family, broke the oppressive quietness: "Jiu Ding Animation has indeed filed an appeal, leaving us with no way to retreat. What do you think we should do?"
Xianghe Reitarō, who had originally opposed the harsh suppression, moved his lips but remained silent, sighing slightly and shifting his gaze to Xianghe Ichirō, who had been adamant about the strong suppression of Jiu Ding Animation.
Although they were family, responsibilities had to be clear. The main responsibility for this matter did not lie with him, and there was no other way to handle it. So it was best not to step forward and let someone "more capable" take charge.
Xianghe Ichirō, with a slightly distracted look, withdrew his gaze from the summons and noticed that both Xianghe Kōhei and Xianghe Reitarō were staring at him. He suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, making it hard to breathe.
"Grrr…"
Xianghe Ichirō took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and made a chilling grinding sound. His temples were visibly bulging, showing his intense anger.
But despite his anger, it was ultimately a mask for his inner panic.
One misstep led to another, evolving into an uncontrollable situation. Had he known it would come to this, Xianghe Ichirō would never have been so blatant in his copying. He should have put more thought into studying the essence of the plagiarized manga rather than merely replicating its outline and settings.
But it was too late for regrets now.
In the face of the dilemma, a smart person would quickly come up with a solution.
Xianghe Ichirō was indeed a smart person, so he promptly set aside his regrets and began to think deeply.
As time passed, Xianghe Ichirō's frown slightly eased. He said to Xianghe Kōhei and Xianghe Reitarō: "The only solution now is to use patents. As long as we get the patent approved, we can turn everything black into white, and the lawsuit will be useless!"
Xianghe Kōhei took a deep breath and agreed, pondering for a moment before asking: "How is the patent application progressing? Has Chūnshū Sōfu responded? When can the application approval process be completed at the earliest?"
Xianghe Ichirō answered immediately: "I asked him when I arrived. Only the final approval steps are left now. If we expedite the process, assuming nothing unexpected happens, the patent can be approved in no more than five days!"
Upon hearing this, Xianghe Kōhei's heart tightened. Five days was too rushed. Of course, he was also angered by the Tokyo District Court's efficiency, which had made them so passive.
During normal operations, the Tokyo District Court had never been so proactive.
According to the island nation's laws, after a court (referred to as the "court" in the island nation) accepts a case, it should serve the summons to the defendant within a week.
However, what disgusted Xianghe Kōhei was that, seemingly influenced by public opinion, the Tokyo District Court acted with astonishing speed. They accepted the case during the day and served the summons the same day.
After learning about Jiu Ding Animation's lawsuit, only a few hours had passed before the summons was delivered, leaving them no time to prepare and catching them off guard.
The island nation's laws stipulate that the case trial period for summonses is as follows: simplified procedures have a maximum of three months, and ordinary procedures have a maximum of six months.
However, the Tokyo District Court had written directly on the summons that the court would be held in an unusually short period—five days!
The timing was tight, precisely matching the time to obtain the patent, and this was assuming no unexpected events. What if something went wrong?
Xianghe Kōhei was very anxious. After thinking for a moment, he instructed Xianghe Ichirō: "Ichirō, the court is in five days, and the time is too tight. You must urge Chūnshū Sōfu to complete the approval within three days. Whatever it costs, we will pay!"
"Understood!"
Xianghe Ichirō nodded solemnly, his expression very serious.
At this moment, Xianghe Kōhei noticed that Xianghe Reitarō, who had been silent, was frowning deeply, seemingly troubled by some issue.
Xianghe Kōhei asked with concern: "Reitarō, what's wrong?"
Xianghe Reitarō raised his head, looked at Xianghe Kōhei, and then at Xianghe Ichirō, and said slowly: "I find something strange. It just doesn't add up."
"What seems off?"
Xianghe Ichirō quickly asked, and Xianghe Kōhei also looked at him with keen interest.
Xianghe Reitarō shook his head in frustration: "After our press conference, Jiu Ding Animation should have known that our patent is being applied for. Why are they indifferent? Isn't that odd?"
Hearing this, both Xianghe Ichirō and Xianghe Kōhei were startled. They looked at each other and couldn't help but swallow nervously, feeling an ominous premonition.
Xianghe Ichirō seemed to be trying to reassure himself, frowning and muttering: "There must be no problem. I asked Chūnshū Sōfu, and Jiu Ding Animation has not submitted any patent applications. They can't possibly have the island nation's patents. It's absolutely impossible!"
"Are you sure?"
Xianghe Kōhei asked with some concern.
Xianghe Ichirō nodded without hesitation: "I'm very sure. I asked Chūnshū Sōfu repeatedly, and he had someone check all the patents related to publishing and manga this year. None of them matched!"
"Then we were overthinking it. Reitarō, don't worry."
Seeing Xianghe Ichirō's confirmation, Xianghe Kōhei sighed in relief and smiled at Xianghe Reitarō.
But Xianghe Reitarō remained unconvinced, still frowning and feeling confused.
"Something's wrong. Since Jiu Ding Animation dares to continue opening stores and even actively sues the Tokyo District Court, they must be confident of winning. They must have ample evidence to prove their copyright and believe they can win the lawsuit."
"Think about it from their perspective. If I were Ma Tengdong and we had obtained the island nation's patent, what could be more useful than the island nation's patent?"
Suddenly, a lightning bolt of realization struck Xianghe Reitarō, and he blurted out: "International patents?!"
"What international patents?"
Hearing Xianghe Reitarō's exclamation, Xianghe Ichirō was startled and repeated the words reflexively, still in shock.
But soon, he realized the implication and his expression changed, unable to believe: "International patents registered in the United States?"
"That shouldn't be the case. People from Hong Kong have weak patent awareness, especially in the manga industry, which is related to cultural copyrights. They would be satisfied with registering Hong Kong patents and wouldn't spend so much effort and energy on international patents."
Xianghe Ichirō expressed doubt, though his words were more for his own encouragement, and he lacked conviction as he spoke.
"That's hard to say!"
"If Jiu Ding Animation really has international patents, then even if we have the island nation's patent, it will be invalidated."
Xianghe Reitarō said with a serious expression, adding another blow to Xianghe Ichirō.
"But wait, if Jiu Ding Animation has international patents, the island nation's patent office would definitely not approve our patent application. Chūnshū Sōfu wouldn't fail to remind us. Even if we offer him more money, he wouldn't dare to do this!"
Xianghe Ichirō countered, his mind subconsciously resisting the possibility.
"This…"
Xianghe Reitarō was momentarily at a loss for words.
Xianghe Kōhei, unable to watch any longer, directly interrupted the argument with some impatience: "Stop arguing. We clearly don't understand the situation with international patents and island nation patents. Ichirō, call Chūnshū Sōfu right now and ask him about this issue."
"Okay!"
Xianghe Ichirō uttered these words and immediately got up to the table, picking up the phone and dialing a number.
While waiting, Xianghe Ichirō felt as if the days were dragging on.
Soon, the call connected, and Chūnshū Sōfu's voice came through the receiver. Xianghe Ichirō didn't waste time and said directly: "Chū
nshū Sōfu, there's an urgent matter. We want to ask if Jiu Ding Animation has applied for international patents?"
Chūnshū Sōfu's answer came quickly: "I checked before. No, they haven't applied for any international patents."
"Are you sure?"
Xianghe Ichirō asked, his face full of skepticism.
Chūnshū Sōfu replied with certainty: "I'm sure. We have a database that's quite comprehensive and updates frequently. If there were any such patents, they would have shown up."
Xianghe Ichirō heaved a sigh of relief, finally reassured.
"Good, thanks. By the way, have there been any issues with our patent application? Are there any difficulties?"
Chūnshū Sōfu's tone was somewhat helpless: "The application is progressing as usual. Although there are occasional problems with certain details, it's a normal part of the process. There's no particular problem."
Xianghe Ichirō nodded, expressing his gratitude: "Okay, understood. Thank you for your hard work."
"Goodbye."
After ending the call, Xianghe Ichirō was finally at ease. He turned to Xianghe Kōhei and Xianghe Reitarō and said: "Chūnshū Sōfu confirmed that there are no international patents. Everything is still under control. We should focus on preparing for the trial."
"Yes!"
Xianghe Kōhei and Xianghe Reitarō both nodded in agreement, feeling slightly relieved.
"By the way, Jiu Ding Animation is filing a lawsuit against us. Shouldn't we consider settling the matter privately to avoid more trouble?"
Xianghe Reitarō suggested cautiously, trying to prevent the matter from escalating further.
Xianghe Ichirō shook his head: "No. We can't afford to lose in court. We have to fight to the end and make sure to defend our rights."
Xianghe Kōhei also expressed his agreement: "We've invested too much in this project. Even if it's a long and tough battle, we must persist."
"Indeed."
Xianghe Reitarō gave a resigned nod, accepting the situation.
The discussion continued with the three of them analyzing their strategy for the upcoming trial and preparing for any further challenges. The sky outside gradually cleared up, as if the clouds were signaling a fresh start.
In the midst of their discussion, no one noticed the figure who had been silently observing from the corner of the room.
The figure quietly left, disappearing into the bustling Tokyo streets, leaving behind a hint of mystery and intrigue.
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