Chapter 293: Frustrated By The Traps She Laid
"Good. There is only one decision left to be made, then," Qian Meng said with a sigh. "Li Jun, what are our options legally?"
Li Jun was silent for a moment. "First, we need to figure out how they got their hands on the design," he responded. "The copyright filed for the designs was on the basis of color, material, design, and manufacturing technique. I got my hands on their copyright papers and set them side by side. Legally, the designs look a little similar, but in terms of quality, materials used, and the process of manufacturing, nothing coincides."
The temperature in the room dropped. "So, we cannot drag them for plagiarism?" she asked.
"Not on these grounds. If you insist that your products are so similar that the customer can get confused between the brands, we can use that as grounds to file a lawsuit," he added after a while.
The product development team and the designers frowned. Qian Meng, too, was disappointed.
"It's evident from the quality and weight of the jewelry pieces that it is not from Venus. I'll need the R&D team and the designers to take a closer look into this," Qian Meng ordered. There was a hum of acknowledgment.
"But there is something we can do," Li Jun said suddenly. Everyone perked up at that. "We can show the court that this company has a long history of creating similar designs to other companies. This will give them a bad track record. The other way is to appeal under the Competition Act. We can claim that they are practicing restrictive trade practices and encroaching on niche markets," he said.
Qian Meng raised her brow. "But our company doesn't dabble in the niche market," she pointed out.
"The company doesn't. But this jewelry line was a revolutionizing piece in the country and therefore, by encroaching on a niche market, it has caused the company a great loss."
The word 'loss' almost made Qian Meng flinch.
"So, you are proposing that we file a lawsuit against them for plagiarism and unfair competition?" she asked finally.
"Absolutely," Li Jun responded.
"And what will be the result?" she asked.
"There is a seventy percent chance that we will win in the first case and a fifty percent chance of a win in the second."
Qian Meng calculated that in her head. "How much time will it drag on for?"
That was the important question.
"A couple of years."
Qian Meng thought for a bit. The money she lost would be great.
"If we file a lawsuit against them, people will find out. It will be high-profile. And more companies might join in. It might help us or break us," Xiong Fen prompted.
"To launch or not to launch," Qian Meng mumbled to herself.
"There is an art to knowing when to draw notice and when to withdraw," Mo Qingchen said from beside her. Qian Meng turned to him in surprise.
She had clearly seen him put in his earphones, but he had responded to her.
"What are you saying?" she asked bluntly.
Mo Qingchen shrugged. "Most often, the most effective action is to stay back, keep calm, and let others be frustrated by the traps you lay for them. Play the long-term game rather than a quick victory."
Qian Meng rolled her eyes. "Stop being poetic and tell me the answer in terms I understand."
Mo Qingchen glanced at her face once and then back to his laptop. "How should I know? I just quoted some random lines from a book I read before," he said without humor.
Qian Meng wanted to smack him for the comment. But then it struck her.
"Cheeky bastard," she muttered under her breath before turning to the people waiting eagerly for the couple to bicker and respond.
"Okay, we are not going to launch The Shift." The groans came from all over. "In China. Sophie's Secret only has its copyrights in China and they only sell domestically. Stopping the launch worldwide will be too much of a loss," she announced.
"Li Min, take some help and contact the other offices and manufacturers and tell them to proceed according to the plan. International influencers will post reviews on time."
Xiong Fen grabbed Qian Meng's attention. "If domestic public make noise and ask why we aren't launching it here. What should we say?"
"Tell them that there is no market for shifting body jewelry domestically," Qian Meng said calmly. The plan formed in her head. "Keep the stocks aside. The influencers who review international products can review them… after the lawsuit is filed."
Qian Meng used this as a cue for Li Jun. "Li Jun, I'll let you take over the legal aspect. With regards to all legal processes, you can talk to the media and consult the PR team. Coordinate on that, please."
"Got it," Li Jun said promptly before muting himself. The rest of the people discussed the particulars.
"I need to see how much we will be losing from this," Qian Meng said finally. "It has been really turbulent for a while and the losses are mounting. Give me the figures as soon as communication with all key people has been done. We can't let there be any delay," she said.
"Last but not least, let's bring the bridal collection launch forward. No one outside should know about it. We need to make it a surprise drop, understood? People should think that we are busy with The Shift. Sophie's Choice is not matured in bridal accessories so they will fall back in this case."
"Do you want to use the talk surrounding the launch and the lawsuit to generate curiosity in the people about The Shift and then launch it with the bridal collection?" Ma Qui asked.
Qian Meng nodded. "It's not a concrete plan as of now, but we can make a good campaign for it. Changing relationships, jewelry that can withstand the progress of life… something like that," she rambled. "But this is not a final plan. Don't go around working on it. This should be prioritized, okay?"
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