The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 35



Only Krnovel

Episode 35 The first flip phone (1)

Most of the patent team was in the science and engineering field.

Only people who had been working at Taewoo Electronics for at least 10 years or had a doctorate degree from a university could join the technology research institute.

Because they were knowledgeable about technology.

They quickly realized that smartphone technology was difficult to implement, and most of them focused on patenting flip phones, which could be easily made with current technology.

Among them, the outstanding one was, of course, lawyer Park Jun-il.

Having mainly dealt with intellectual property rights at a large U.S. law firm, he knew exactly the important elements of patent registration, and assigned roles to team researchers to quickly create a patent proposal and bring it to me.

“Have you already created a patent specification in less than a day?”

“We started with patents related to the folding mechanism, which is the most important part of flip phones. “I started with easy technologies first, and I can create at least 2 to 3 patent specifications per week.”

A flip phone is literally a mobile phone that folds.

Although today’s mobile phones are said to be much improved than before, most of them are in a simple block shape.

“You can apply for a patent in Korea and the U.S. at the same time, right?”

“It is quite possible. To save time, it is helpful to proceed through a law firm. “In Korea, you can use Taewoo Group’s legal team, but wouldn’t it be a little more difficult in the United States?”

“Are you suggesting that we proceed with patent registration through Wilmer Hale, where Attorney Park worked?”

“You can save a lot of time by working with WilmerHale, the number one law firm in the United States. “The only problem is the cost, but if I make sure to fix the draft, I can cut the cost by less than half.”

“We will give you 10 percent of the cost savings as an incentive. Get things done with Wilmer Hale. we are running out of time.”

If I remember correctly, the first flip phone will be released in the first half of next year.

With only one year left, it was a fight where time was more important than money.

“We will proceed like that. ah! And the most problematic part of the folding mechanism is said to be the battery technology. “It is not difficult to apply for a patent, but I heard that it is difficult to make it with Taewoo Electronics’ current technology.”

“Don’t worry about that part. Attorney Park, please focus only on the patent application. I will take care of all the technical issues. Also, please work on revising the draft patent specification created by another researcher, Byun Park. “So that a patent application can be filed immediately in the United States.”

“Is that part included in the incentive?”

“of course.”

“Then I will revise the drafts of all patent specifications.”

Is this the case for large American law firms?

Attorney Park smelled the money amazingly.

Large American law firms are as sensitive to the smell of money as Wall Street.

* * *

Wilmer Hale’s partner attorney, Linken.

He poured himself out at the morning meeting and returned to the office.

His personality became even more eccentric as he was unable to properly fill the position left by his beloved Attorney Park.

Can’t we bring Attorney Park back?

While he was thinking this, he received a call from Attorney Park.

“Hey Park! Are you making all the calls already? After all, life in Korea isn’t easy, right? After spending a few days in Korea, I guess my homesickness has been cured, and now I’m coming back to the United States. “Don’t stay in a place where you can’t make any money.”

[I have no intention of returning to the United States yet.]

“Then why did you call?”

[The company I work for wants to apply for a U.S. patent, and I wanted to work with Wilmer Hale, so I contacted them.]

“Patent? “After all, I was doing something that didn’t make any money.”

Linken had a bitter taste in his mouth.

Attorney Park, who receives hundreds of millions of won just for handling a single case, is focusing on things like patent applications.

He wanted to fly to Korea right away, grab him by the collar, and bring him back to the United States.

[I created the draft patent by modifying it in American style. Can I file a patent application through Wilmer Hale?]

“Normally, I don’t take on such tasks, but I’ll help you, especially since you’re the one. Still, since you were a lawyer at Wilmer Hale, you should push for it.”

To clear his debt to Attorney Park, Linken willingly accepted.

And if Attorney Park had edited the draft, there was nothing to worry about.

All that was necessary was to put the patent statement in an envelope with Wilmer Hale’s logo and submit it to the Patent Office.

[We cannot pay as much commission as American companies. Instead, I will prepare a complete statement and send it to you.]

“It must be perfect because it’s the specification you made. “I’ll only charge 30 percent of the commission.”

[Are you really doing that? The amount may be a bit large.]

“How much can it be? “I’m not the type of person who speaks twice, so send it all.”

[At least 20 cases per month. There may be more.]

“That many? “More than 200 patent applications a year?”

Linken tapped the calculator.

Is it possible to collect 200 commissions with just a few administrative procedures and the cost of envelopes?

Although the 30 percent fee was not enough, for 200 cases it was a significant amount.

As expected, Attorney Park was a lucky person.

Even after leaving the company, Wilmer Hale gave me good luck.

[Then I will send you a formal contract. A lawyer from Taewoo Group’s U.S. corporation will visit Wilmer Hale sometime today.]

“I will meet in person and sign the contract. “It’s your job, not anyone else’s, so I have to take action.”

[thank you. And at least 200 a year. There may be more than 1,000 cases.]

“Of course, there are things that fall on you too, right?”

[…] … It falls quite a bit.]

“Of course you should! “If you’re a Wilmer Hale lawyer, you should definitely get that much.”

I was told to return to the United States.

There was nothing bad about Linken at all since all the work that came from Attorney Park was his own work performance.

Rather, it was also an opportunity for promotion.

A lawyer who successfully filed 200 patent applications in one year!

It was a golden opportunity to enter the leadership of Wilmer Hale.

He, who had been angry like an active volcano all morning, was now smiling happily like a calm lake.

* * *

Attorney Park Joon-il came and went from the director’s office, and not long after that, Jonathan came to visit.

He created a draft design for the flip phone I sketched, adding his own philosophy.

Moreover, not only did he come alone, but he also brought the Vice Director of the Technology Research Institute, Kwang-il Joo, into the director’s office.

“I created a draft design. “Well, it’s just a little tweaking of the sketch Kim made.”

“Isn’t it just a little bit of work? “It’s definitely a design that captures people’s emotions.”

As expected, the person who designed the iPhone was different.

I can’t believe I was able to create such a beautiful design just from a sketch I drew, even though I have no artistic talent whatsoever.

I looked at the design in awe.

However, Vice Director Joo Gwang-il was looking at the draft design with an emphasis on scientific feasibility rather than liberal arts sensibility.

“The design is certainly beautiful, but it is an impossible product to implement right now. “A lot of development is needed not only in terms of battery issues but also in terms of software.”

“Vice Director Joo, you also saw the draft idea I created, right? “It also includes various software technologies.”

“So that’s the problem. It’s not just about making a foldable mobile phone, it’s closer to creating a whole new field. “In order to apply all of your ideas to a flip phone, it will be difficult to make it within a few years even if a large number of software experts are involved.”

Taewoo Technology Research Institute had many excellent talents.

However, the number of people who studied software professionally was only a few, and it was not enough to create flip phone software in a short period of time.

Of course, I was thinking about that too.

In this day and age, more importance is placed on the hardware that makes mobile phones, but as time goes by, the value of software will increase.

“So, I plan to outsource the software part.”

“There are only a few companies in Korea that can create mobile phone software. Even if there are, most of them are subsidiaries of large companies that make mobile phones.”

“The word that makes my grandfather dry is globalization. “Why do you only look for outsourcing companies in Korea?”

“Are you thinking of outsourcing to an American company? “It’s difficult to get a contract with an American software company with technology lab funding.”

Taewoo Technology Research Institute’s financial power is limited.

Of course, there was no way Taewoo Electronics would support it, and there was no way my grandfather, who thought the importance of technology was an afterthought, would invest in creating software.

Then just do it with my own money.

From the beginning, we did not even think about borrowing the power of Taewo Group for software development.

“Of course it would be difficult if it were outsourced. Then, you can purchase and use software made by another company. As it has been until now.”

“The flip phone is a mobile phone that hasn’t been released yet. But which software company would produce software specifically for flip phones? “There are only a few companies that will accept it even if we offer a large down payment for outsourcing.”

“I will solve that part. I will be going on a business trip to the US soon. “Don’t worry about software issues in the technology lab.”

A business trip to the US was already planned.

Since I had to go to the United States to discuss not only software issues but also Japanese-related derivatives sold on Wall Street, I had already reserved a plane ticket.

“Even if it’s a software issue, what do you plan on doing about the battery issue? It is difficult to use the flip phone properly with the batteries released now. “If you are not going to use it while plugged into a charger, you need a cell phone battery with better performance than what you have now.”

“Don’t worry about that either. Because I have a plan in mind. Please focus on other developments in the technology lab.”

The cell phone battery problem has emerged again.

However, I had already been providing large amounts of research funds to battery experts for several years.

Especially those who will receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for batteries in the future. And the bigger picture has already been drawn.

“As long as the battery and software issues are resolved, it will not be difficult to create a product according to Jonathan’s design.”

“Please just make it like that. Also, please file a patent application for Jonathan’s design. “We have to take off every part of the exterior and secure as many patents as possible.”

“We will go through the patent registration process for all technologies used in the production of flip phones. “I will not miss even the smallest detail.”

For the first time in a long time, Vice Director Joo Gwang-il said something that I liked.

It was only natural that patents were something I had emphasized hundreds of times after taking office as general manager.

The technology research institute was rapidly being transformed into an institution specializing in patents.

The moment Attorney Park receives a large amount of incentives and bonuses, the speed of change will accelerate.

If you realize that patents make money, not only the patent team but also the product development team will focus on patent applications.

“Then, I will trust you and go to the United States for a while.”

It’s time to draw the most important part of the big picture I want to draw.

An essential part not only for the survival of Taewoo Group but also for its future.

The time has come to join hands with a giant named Steve Jobs of NEXT.