Reborn: Billionaire in College

Chapter 372 Oranges strike back, Apples in crisis

Cook did not expect that Chen Pingjiang and even Orange Technology would be so tough and had no intention of compromising or reconciling.

You know, Samsung can still file a counterclaim based on its many years of experience in manufacturing mobile phones.

What does Orange Technology have?
If we don't reconcile now, will it be delayed until the trial?

For a moment, Cook had no idea what Chen Pingjiang was up to.

Soon, Cook saw Chen Pingjiang's methods and saw the counterattack.

2012 3 Month 7 Day.

An explosive piece of news suddenly became a hot topic on multiple social platforms.

"Orange Technology filed a lawsuit in the Wujiang District Court of Dongjiang City, demanding that Apple's general distributor in mainland China immediately stop infringing, prohibit it from selling Apple iPad-related products, and pay $20 billion in fraud compensation in accordance with the law."

!!!

The crowd of onlookers had a collective climax.

What's going on?

How come Apple just sued Orange in the United States?

Then Orange sued Apple in China?
"Awesome! This is the Chen Pingjiang I know. He will fight if he disagrees with you."

"It's really cruel. They directly demanded a ban on sales in mainland China and also demanded 20 billion in compensation. In comparison, Apple's lawsuit against Orange in the United States was really weak."

"If Apple wants to be awesome, Cook must taste the power of Wujiang Pizza Hut."

"Can anyone who knows the situation explain this? What grounds did Orange Technology use to sue Apple?"

"Didn't you see the news? Orange Technology acquired the Apple IPAD trademark from Proview Technology, and then turned around and sued Apple for infringement."

"Chen Pingjiang was too ruthless. I don't know how much he spent on the trademark, but it must have been expensive."

"They acted quickly, ruthlessly and accurately! If this trademark was in the hands of Proview Technology, it could only extort money from Apple, but in the hands of Orange Technology, Apple would have to pay a heavy price even if it didn't die."

Many news media have carried out related special reports.

——Uncovering the dispute over the ownership of the “iPad” trademark between Apple and Proview Technology!

"In June and December 2001, Proview Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Proview International, applied to register two Chinese trademarks for iPad, covering computers and computer peripheral products, and has been producing related products since then."

"As mentioned in the biography of Steve Jobs, it was actually in 2005 that Jobs came up with the idea of ​​iPad. It is undeniable that it was Jobs and Apple who gave the word iPad extraordinary value. Proview's iPad product was just a sideshow. But it is reasonable to speculate that Proview could not have maliciously registered the trademark. Apple's unauthorized use of the iPad trademark is suspected of infringement."

"Although Apple did purchase almost all trademark rights from Proview, the crux of the matter is that it was Proview Technology Shenzhen that registered the iPad trademark, and Proview Technology Taipei that sold the trademark. Proview Taipei has no right to sell trademarks that do not belong to it."

"It is worth mentioning that!!!!!"

"In 2010, Apple requested the court to determine the ownership of the "iPad" trademark and to claim related expenses from Shenzhen Proview. After three trials, the request was rejected. Shenzhen Proview then filed an application for a temporary injunction with the Shanghai PD Court, which was also rejected."

"But now, the trademark has been transferred by Proview to Orange Technology!"

"This is what business warfare is all about. Watering the money tree is low-end."

Netizens who finally figured out the whole story were shocked.

You can still play like this!

Orange Technology took over the trademark rights directly and went to the battlefield itself!

This matter can be explained in a few words. Apple thinks that since I have bought all the trademarks, I can still sell iPads in mainland China, but Proview says that I only sold iPad trademarks in other regions to you, not in mainland China.

So, Apple sued Proview in 10, saying, "I am willing to pay you to buy your trademark, and you should stop suing me." But Proview asked for too much, and the two sides never reached an agreement. Proview sued Apple in Shanghai, demanding that Apple not sell its products in Shanghai, but the lawsuit was also rejected.

It was at this point in time that Chen Pingjiang entered the scene.

The next day, another piece of news became a hot topic.

——It is reported that Orange Technology spent 6000 million US dollars to buy the iPad trademark from Proview Technology.

"It makes my blood boil. It's really generous. Just with a wave of his hand, 6000 million US dollars was spent."

"Proview is crying. It only received 3.5 pounds for the IPAD trademark sold to Apple in other regions, but this time it made 6000 million US dollars for a mainland trademark."

"Don't think Chen Pingjiang is stupid, he is definitely not stupid. If they sell at a low price, Proview will not sell, and they are not far from reconciliation with Apple. But Chen Pingjiang can make more money, even to the point of killing Apple!"

Dongjiang Qingshan Lake Terminal Base Conference Room.

Chen Pingjiang knocked on the table cheerfully: "How are the contacts in various regions going?"

Lin Bin smiled and said, "Cook will have a headache this time. Currently, all the work is progressing steadily. We will cut the meat with a blunt knife."

Zhou Guangping gave a thumbs up in admiration: "Mr. Chen, this is a stroke of genius. I didn't expect you to find a loophole in the chaotic information. Although I also know that Apple and Proview are in a lawsuit, I really didn't think of buying the trademark from Proview. On the one hand, I instinctively felt that it was someone else's business and had nothing to do with us. On the other hand, I never thought that the trademark in the lawsuit could be transferred."

Chen Shizhe laughed and said, "When Mr. Chen asked me, I was also confused. I even checked the information and confirmed that it could be transferred before I did it. No one has done this before. It is purely a thankless task and may not make the other party pay back the money for buying the trademark. But this time it's different! The situation is on my side!"

In the next few days, various news related to this trademark infringement emerged one after another.

On March 2012, 3, Apple iPads were removed from shelves in more than 9 first- and second-tier cities including Tongnan, Dongjiang, Shenzhen, and Tianjin.

2012 3 Month 10 Day.

JD.com announced that it will remove Apple iPad from its shelves.

2012 3 Month 11 Day.

The credit card points malls of several banks, including ICBC, ABC, CCB, CGB, and SPDB, have all removed Apple iPads from their shelves.

……

When Cook saw the report, his face turned pale.

Qiu Qiuliang, Lu Lei and Guan Chaonan looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Damn it, I just flew back to China after a meeting last time, and within two days I was dragged here again.

Because this matter is too big.

Who would have thought that Orange Technology would succeed in stealing the chicken!

No one can think of it!
This time, the head of the legal department didn't dare to say a word.

"Ahem." Cook's cough broke the dull atmosphere in the conference room. "At present, more and more cities have removed the IPAD from their shelves. Some of them are due to trademark infringement, and some are due to administrative force. The situation is deteriorating very quickly. We must respond quickly. If we continue like this, we will be killed. Lu, you are the person in charge in China. Please tell us about the situation."

Lu Lei nodded and said, "We must obtain the trademark rights. If we don't get them, we will suffer heavy losses. In addition to the $20 billion fraud compensation we may face if we lose the case, our product sales will also be seriously affected. Currently, Orange Technology has filed a lawsuit against us in Wujiang District, Dongjiang. That is Chen Pingjiang's territory. We have almost no chance of winning. If we lose the case, it means that all iPad products will not be sold normally in mainland China."

"I consulted relevant lawyers. If we don't remove the products from the shelves, it will be an expanded infringement. The merchants can also claim compensation from us for the economic losses they have suffered. By then, we will face claims from multiple parties. I asked someone to contact Chen Pingjiang and expressed my desire to meet him, but he declined because he didn't have time. Now the time is on his side, and we are the ones who are anxious."

Cook smiled bitterly.

Who could have thought that the situation would change so quickly in just one week.

The angle of the opponent's attack was extremely tricky.

And it hits the vital point hard. If you move, you will die. If you don't move, you will die too.

Qiu Qiuliang said: "Mr. Cook, in the fourth quarter of 2011, we sold 1543 million iPads worldwide, more than double the same period last year. China is one of the most important markets for growth and will continue to grow. We have no reason to give up millions of market share each year. Of course, we can change the name of iPad, but the name change will also bring a series of expenses such as advertising. If we lose the case, based on the sales volume of iPad in China, the compensation cost for trademark infringement will be more than 20 billion US dollars."

Cook nodded. "We all know what you said. Now we are at the mercy of others. We can only seek reconciliation with Chen Pingjiang. It is foreseeable that the other party will ask for a huge sum of money this time."

Lu Lei was angry.

Last time I strongly opposed it, but was ignored. Now that I have been done to, I am still complaining that the other party asked for too much.

"Mr. Cook, it's good that Chen Pingjiang is asking for such a high price. But what if he doesn't even want to reconcile and wants us to withdraw from the Chinese market?"

Cook shook his head: "I don't think so. We have brought so many jobs to China. This is a lose-lose situation."

Lu Lei nodded: "I suggest going to China as soon as possible to meet with Chen Pingjiang. I will also contact the heads of government departments and hope that they will come forward to mediate. This way, we will have a better chance of success."

"Very good, Lu, you are very considerate."

The two were halfway through their conversation.

The secretary came running in again, in a hurry.

Everyone's face changed when they saw the secretary's appearance.

They are all senior employees, they would not be so unruly about trivial matters.

"Mr. Cook, news came from China that Han Han and 22 other writers, under the name of the 'Writers' Rights Protection Alliance', sued Apple for infringing on their personal copyrights."

"What?"

"What the hell, don't Chinese writers sleep? It's their... oh, okay, 9pm."

The secretary swallowed and said, "Do we need to respond?"

"No, let's talk about it after the meeting. It's not a big deal. You go back first, Jack, we have to continue the meeting." Cook thought for a while and said.

A few seconds after the words fell, Cook still didn't see the secretary turn around and leave, so he asked suspiciously: "Is there anything else?"

Secretary Jack nodded helplessly: "Yes, sir, there is something more important."

Cook glared at him unhappily: "Why don't you just tell me?"

"Someone has posted a petition on the White House's coalition petition website, asking for better treatment for Apple's Chinese workers. Currently, 1 people have signed it."

"..."

Cook felt ridiculous.

Americans are petitioning for higher wages for Chinese workers? Are you living Bodhisattvas?

(End of this chapter)