novelweb Chapter 652: Seeking Heavenly Foot
Chapter 652: Seeking Heavenly Foot
Chapter 652 Seeking Heaven's Foot
Houston, home of the Rockets.
The Lakers' visit to Houston is an away game, but the media generally believe that the Lakers will win the game.
Because the Lakers are the defending champions, and the Rockets were one of the five worst teams in the league last season.
However, after entering the game, the OK combination was caught off guard.
When Francis played at his peak, it was true that people blocked and killed people, and Buddhas blocked and killed Buddhas. In a normal game, Kobe was completely overwhelmed by Francis.
But in this game, Kobe really didn't feel good, and his shooting percentage was very bad, only a little over 20%.
Another thigh of the Lakers, O'Neal, was a little confused.
Opposing O'Neal is naturally Chairman Yao, who is still in his first year as a rookie.
In this game, O'Neal scored 31 points and 13 rebounds, which was statistically crushed by Chairman Yao with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks.
However, five of Chairman Yao's six blocks were given to O'Neal.
As the No. 1 center in the NBA, the same person conceded five times in one game, which really made O'Neal feel ashamed.
At the very beginning, when O'Neill ate the first hot pot, he didn't think it mattered. After all, it was not ashamed to be taken off by someone taller than him.
But when he was dismissed for the third time in a row, O'Neill became completely angry.
O'Neal is the No. 1 center in the NBA. You, a rookie, took three shots. I don't want my face!
So O'Neill eagerly wanted to get back the scene, and he also wanted to give Chairman Yao a hot pot, but he soon discovered that the 2.26-meter tall man in front of him was actually playing a fadeaway jumper!
Who can take the 2.26 meter fadeaway jumper?
The angry O'Neill had no choice but to fire all his firepower and turned on the full attack mode.
This is also the first Yao-Shark duel. In the end, the defending champion Lakers and last season's big Rockets scored in overtime, and then the defending champion lost to the big team.
side of the field,
Li Weidong and James Bond sit side by side.
Boss, this big man is very popular in Houston! James Bond said.
Yes, since Olajuwon left, Houstonians have been waiting for the second Olajuwon. Now they pin their hopes on Yao. Li Weidong replied.
James Bond went on to say: Our other spokesperson, Stoudemire's data is also very good. This time we have chosen the right one again!
Playing next to Nash, the statistics will never be too bad. Li Weidong paused, and then asked: How is the situation of the second pick?
You mean Jay Williams? James Bond thought for a while and said, Judging from the second place standard, his performance is very average. Although he occasionally has a wonderful performance, most of the time It’s all pretty mediocre.”
Adidas spent 100 million to sign him, and I must regret it now! Li Weidong said with a smile.
I heard that Adidas' German headquarters is already very dissatisfied with Sony Vaccaro, and they are likely to change the head of the North American region.
James Bond went on to say: And now Adidas is struggling with Tianzu's patent lawsuit!
Tianzu? Is it the core sneaker technology of Adidas? Li Weidong asked immediately.
Yes, that's the one. Adidas may have nearly a hundred models of sports shoes using the natural foot technology, but now, if the price cannot be negotiated, Adidas may lose the natural foot. James Bond explained .
What's going on, tell me in detail. Li Weidong said.
So James Bond explained; Actually, the original technology of Tianzu does not belong to Adidas. The person who invented Tianzu is named Frampton Ellis. He used to be a track and field athlete at Duke University.
Ellis once had to say goodbye to his sports career because of an ankle injury, so he decided to invent a safe and stable shoe to protect the athlete's feet.
In his research, Ellis found that the human barefoot is more stable than when wearing shoes, so after three years of research, he made the barefoot sole technology and applied for a patent.
Later, Adidas obtained the patent right to use bare feet from Ellis, and improved it. While imitating the state of human bare feet, the outer edge of the traditional rolling unloading was increased, which reduced the deflection angle of the ankle during exercise and enhanced stability. sex.
Then there are modules set up on multiple key points to form a dynamic and stable triangle on the forefoot, so that the whole foot will be in a natural state similar to bare feet, which is the natural foot.
Adidas officially released the Tianzu technology in 1996. From 1997 to 2001, Adidas released more than 100 sports shoes with Tianzu technology. Not only basketball shoes, but also tennis shoes, running shoes, etc. have natural foot technology.
However, the patent license between Adidas and Ellis expired in 2001, and then the two parties did not reach an agreement on the renewal of the contract, so they went to court with Bo, and the lawsuit is still ongoing.
Is it because the authorization fee has not been negotiated? Li Weidong asked.
Licensing fee is the main reason. James Bond went on to explain: When Ellis licensed the barefoot technology to Adidas, he did not expect that Tianzu would become adidas' signature.
Therefore, Ellis felt that the original authorization fee was too low, and he suffered a big loss. Therefore, during the contract renewal negotiations, the lion opened his mouth and asked for a very high price. Although I don’t know the specific quotation of Ellis, according to According to gossip, Ellis wanted a licensing fee of $100 million.
100 million US dollars? Li Weidong thought for a while and said; Tianzu's sneakers are selling so well. In terms of the sales of Tianzu series, 100 million US dollars is not expensive.
It's $100 million a year! James Bond added.
Then this is really a lion's mouth! Such a high price, even if Adidas is rich and powerful, it is impossible to agree. Li Weidong said.
But Ellis believes that Tianzu is the core product of Adidas, so Adidas will never give up Tianzu, so even if he is a lion, Adidas will eventually have to compromise.
James Bond paused, and then introduced: But Adidas is not easy to deal with, they directly applied for Tianzu's patent.
Wait a minute, isn't Tianzu's patent in the hands of Ellis? Li Weidong asked immediately.
To be precise, what Ellis is holding is the barefoot patent, and Adidas believes that the natural feet they use have made many modifications to the original barefoot patent, which is completely different from the barefoot patent, and is a new type of patent. But Ai Liss naturally does not agree with Adidas' statement, so the two sides will confront Bo in court. James Bond explained.
...
In the 1970s, Adidas defeated Converse and became the world's number one sports brand.
However, since Nike signed Jordan, it has risen rapidly. By the early 1990s, Nike had surpassed Adidas and stood on the world's number one throne.
And Adidas in that era was indeed in a low tide period. It was beaten by Nike in the North American market, and faced with the double attack of Puma and Nike in the European market. It was quite sad.
At that time, Adidas had just given up the classic clover logo, and the three-stripe logo known to later generations had not yet formed, so it was in a bald state.
Even on such an important occasion as the World Cup, the jerseys of the teams sponsored by Adidas only have the letters of Adidas in English, without the logo of Adidas.
People thought that Adidas, a time-honored brand, would fall into decline, but the advent of Tianzu made Adidas a successful turnaround.
At that time, the most talked about was Nike's Zoom series. However, after the Tianzu series came out, the mantra of American sneaker lovers changed from Have you worn Zoom? to Have you worn Tianzu?
The early Tianzu also had many shortcomings, such as excessive weight, such as not being wear-resistant, but these were finally solved as Adidas used more new materials.
The Zoom series, which Nike placed high hopes on, could not resist the offensive of Tianzu at all. They had to come up with Shox technology in advance to fight against Adidas' Tianzu.
It can be said that it is precisely because of the advent of the Tianzu series that Adidas, which is mired in the quagmire, will be reborn.
But it is a pity that the lawsuit between Adidas and Ellis eventually ruined Tianzu.
Ellis thought he was earning less, and the lion opened his mouth during the patent renewal negotiations.
Adidas simply refused to admit it, directly saying that my natural feet are not your patent, and want to directly bypass Ellis' patent right.
The lawsuit lasted for two years, and although it ended in mediation, it was a lose-lose in the end. Adidas gave up the Tianzu series, and Ellis didn't get a penny.
It was not until the barefoot technology passed the patent protection period that Adidas revived the natural feet.
Nike also breathed a sigh of relief. If Adidas hadn't lost its natural foot, Nike's immature Shox technology might really be overtaken by Adidas.
...
An introduction by James Bond made Li Weidong fall into deep thought.
Although the sales of the current Feiyue sneakers are good, and the spokespersons are also top-notch, but there is no core technology that can be sold.
Nike has the famous air cushion technology and the new Zoom technology. Even the Shox technology, which has been criticized by others, is quite famous.
Adidas' core technologies include adiPRENE, A3 structure shock absorption, and the well-known BOOST technology for stepping on shit.
Even domestic brands have independently developed some core technologies in later generations, such as Anta's energy ring and Li Ning's Li Ning bow.
If Feiyue Sports wants to continue in this industry, it must have a core technology that can be obtained.
If you rely on your own research and development, it will be difficult to come up with decent technology without a period of ten or eight years.
So Li Weidong set his sights on Tianzu!
The reputation of Tianzu is big enough, and the sales volume is also very good. If it is taken over, it can be directly used as the core technology of Feiyue Sports.
Li Weidong said, James, I'm very interested in this Tianzu technology. Find a way to contact Ellis and ask about the patent licensing fee.
He wants 100 million U.S. dollars a year. We can't afford it even if it's a 30-40% discount. If we have so much money, we might as well develop it ourselves. James Bond said.
Can we give him a share, such as authorizing the patent to us, and we will give him a certain percentage of the profit share every time we sell a pair of sneakers with the Tianzu patent. Li Weidong said.
Okay, let me try to get in touch with Ellis. James Bond continued to ask: Then what percentage is more appropriate?
Li Weidong asked, How long will Ellis' Tianzu patent expire?
James Bond replied: Ellis' patent was applied for in 1991, and then he signed a ten-year patent license with Adidas, which expired in 2001, and the lawsuit between the two sides also started from then.
According to the U.S. patent law, non-appearance patents are valid for 20 years, so Ellis' patent should expire in 2011.
Li Weidong nodded, pondered for a moment and then said, That can't exceed 25% profit at most.
For the sake of Tianzu technology, Li Weidong is willing to give a quarter of the profit, which is already a very sincere price tag.
...
A few days later, Li Weidong received a reply from James Bond.
That Ellis is really greedy. He asked for 70% of the profit as a patent licensing fee, and then I talked to him about 50%, but the negotiation couldn't go on. I think it is difficult for him to lower the price, after all, he How dare you ask Adias for 100 million dollars a year! James Bond said.
Fifty percent, it's really whimsical! Li Weidong snorted coldly.
Fifty percent means that every time Feiyue Sports sells a pair of shoes with Tianzu technology, it must give half of the profits to Ellis.
If it’s a new patent in the high-tech industry, it’s nothing more than a sneaker patent more than ten years ago, and you want to enjoy 50% of the profits, it’s just a dream!
I have to say that Ellis is too greedy.
From another perspective, if Ellis was not greedy, he would have reached an agreement with Adidas long ago, and the Tianzu series would not be ruined.
Li Weidong said: 50% is definitely impossible. Since Ellis is not willing to lower the price, I will find a way to force him to lower the price.
Boss, what should we do? James Bond asked immediately.
You can help me with two things first. First, disclose to the media that Feiyue Sports intends to purchase Tianzu's patent rights, and now we have entered the substantive negotiation stage.
Second, you design a sneaker with natural technology as soon as possible. Remember, this shoe does not need to be very practical, but it must be trendy enough. Li Weidong said.
Okay, boss! James Bond agreed without hesitation.
When it comes to trendy shoes, James Bond is definitely doing his part.
Later, Li Weidong called the Jinjiang sneaker factory.
Hey, Boss Huang, I'm Li Weidong! I need your help with something. Do you know anyone who sells fake shoes?
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