novelweb #244 - The antitrust hearing is officially held? Get ready to leave the US market!
#244 - The antitrust hearing is officially held? Get ready to leave the US market!
Several days later, Gao Nian, who was happily looking at the brand-new Phoenix X3 mobile phone processor, received some terrible news.
"Boss, the United States has sent a notice inviting us to attend the 'Geek Technology Company Anti-Monopoly Hearing' on February 25, 2013."
Hearing Lei Bus's words, Gao Nian's face immediately darkened.
He hadn't expected that the United States would actually speed up the anti-monopoly investigation of Geek Technology Company.
It only took three months to immediately convene an anti-monopoly hearing, which shows that they were indeed not idle.
This anti-monopoly hearing is a pre-trial consultation, a negotiation meeting for everyone to reach a consensus before the trial.
In the upcoming anti-monopoly hearing, if Geek Technology Company and other companies cannot reach a consensus, the anti-monopoly lawsuit will be formally convened.
If Geek Technology Company is judged by the United States court to have a monopoly, then Geek Technology Company will receive a fine, which is a light punishment.
More seriously, it will have to accept rectification by the United States, for example, the United States court believes that Geek Technology Company must be dismantled.
Only in this way can the possibility of Geek Technology Company's monopoly be broken, and then Geek Technology Company will be split into several or even a dozen companies.
If Geek Technology Company does not comply with their requirements, then Geek Technology Company's products and services will not be able to enter the United States market.
Even in order to打击Geek Technology Company, Geek Technology Company may also be listed on the 'Entity List', so as to enjoy the "special treatment" of Zhongxing Company and Huawei Company in its previous life.
At that time, all companies will not dare to cooperate with Geek Technology Company, and will not dare to sell equipment and instruments to Geek Technology Company.
Therefore, even if they know that this anti-monopoly hearing is ill-intentioned, Geek Technology Company can only participate.
However, this anti-monopoly hearing was indeed ill-intentioned, and Lei Bus, who represented Gao Nian to attend the hearing, was humiliated!
In this anti-monopoly hearing, it was almost a Hongmen banquet, a cold shoulder.
The organizers of the hearing did not hide their bias towards the 13 companies that reported Geek Technology Company for suspected monopoly.
And those 13 companies also came up with a lot of so-called evidence to show that Geek Technology Company had a monopoly.
All of this made Lei Bus feel quite ridiculous, so in less than two days, Lei Bus came back directly: "It's just wanting to slaughter a pig, in order to avoid criticism, they put a layer of fig leaf on the act of slaughtering a pig."
Lei Bus, who returned from the United States hearing, expressed his views with a gloomy expression.
"It seems that the anti-monopoly lawsuit is unavoidable."
Gao Nian sighed and said.
Although Gao Nian had already known this, it was really too bad when the anti-monopoly lawsuit really came to Geek Technology Company.
"It seems that we can only try our best to respond to the lawsuit."
Lei Bus also sighed and completely gave up his fantasy.
Seeing this, Gao Nian sighed and said:
"We must be prepared to give up the United States market."
"Huh?"
Hearing Gao Nian's words, the people present looked at Gao Nian in surprise.
They didn't expect Gao Nian to say that, to actually ask Geek Technology Company to prepare to give up the United States in advance. Facing the strange gazes of the people, Gao Nian sighed and said:
"There is a saying that some people or some things are inherently guilty as long as they exist.
As long as our Geek Technology Company continues to exist, it is an original sin for Wall Street, because we have torn apart their technological hegemony.
So in the long run, we have no way to coexist harmoniously with them. Even if we survive this disaster, the next disaster will continue to strike.
As long as we do not give up the research and development of core technology, and do not give up the dream of breaking the foreign technology blockade, then the打击on us will never stop."
Then the contradiction between Geek Technology Company and the United States will eventually exist, and it will eventually be unavoidable.
As long as there is a contradiction, even if this anti-monopoly lawsuit is avoided, the next one will not be avoided.
"I understand."
Lei Bus agreed with a solemn expression.
And the heads of other departments or branches also nodded to indicate that they knew and would prepare in advance.
They will reduce the assets in the United States and prepare to withdraw from the United States market.
Of course, there is not much preparation for this withdrawal.
Because Geek Technology Company's factory is not in the United States, and Geek Technology Company's only valuable asset in the United States.
It is only the technical patents registered by Geek Technology Company and its subsidiaries in the United States, or the company headquarters and physical stores leased in the United States.
Therefore, Geek Technology Company really does not have any important physical assets in the United States.
Even if all the branches and stores are seized, it will not be enough to hurt Geek Technology Company and its subsidiaries.
However, after all, some preparations must be made in advance, such as in terms of funds, the funds in the branch's account must be transferred to Chinese banks in advance.
When the branch needs money for development, the headquarters will give the branch the amount of money for development after verification.
This can avoid them directly seizing Geek Technology Company's fund account and avoid financial losses.
So, in this way, as Geek Technology Company made preparations, the other side also accelerated its actions after noticing it.
On March 10, 2013, the anti-monopoly lawsuit against Geek Technology Company was officially convened.
In this anti-monopoly lawsuit, because they knew the result in advance, Geek Technology Company did not invest a lot of money into it.
After all, if people really want to mess with you, no matter how strong the lawyer you hire is, there is no way to avoid the anti-monopoly judgment.
Therefore, although Geek Technology Company responded to the lawsuit, it did not go all out to fight the lawsuit.
For Geek Technology Company, now is the time to delay for one more day, and for every more day.
Geek Technology Company can earn a little more money.
After all, although Geek Technology Company's computers and mobile phones are no longer sold, the only thing currently being sold is Hongmi brand mobile phones.
But Geek Technology Company earns a lot of money with the 15% Geek Tax from the 30% channel commission fee.
Therefore, Geek Technology Company still wants to delay as much as possible, so that Geek Technology Company can earn a little more money.
And time passed slowly like this, a month passed like this, and time quietly came to April 1, 2013.
On this day, Geek Technology Company held another press conference and officially released new mobile phones and new computers.