American History 1988
Chapter 110 - 104: Dune Road

Chapter 110: Chapter 104: Dune Road

"OK, having the algorithm only means there’s a possibility to apply for a patent. American law is currently in the exploratory phase regarding protection for the computer software industry."

Mark casually pulled a newspaper from the desk and passed it to Dean and the others, "Look, Professor James from Boston Law School has criticized in ’The Washington Post’ that legal rules relating to software patents seem to have gone too far.

He believes this limits innovation in the computer software industry and allows patent attorneys to circumvent the restrictions of Section 101 with legal drafting techniques."

"So the prevailing public opinion is in favor of encouraging innovation and against software patent barriers?" Dean frowned and asked his question.

"This isn’t a simple true or false question, Dean." Mark winked at him, "Whether you can apply for a patent for software mainly depends on how many connections and resources you can muster."

Dean shrugged, "Doesn’t the almighty Silicon Valley attorney offer such services?"

"Any commercial law firm offers such services. But to persuade the patent examiners at the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), as well as judges you might deal with in the future, you’ll need to budget at least 100 to 200 thousand dollars for public relations."

Mark turned to look at Dean, "Are you sure you want to choose this service? If so, please make sure to contact me for a law firm referral, because that way I can get a referral fee."

"Wow~ Such profound PBK fraternity." Dean turned to Adam, who was watching the scene unfold, "You were right, Adam. Those who come out of PBK are the future elite of America, and I even think that’s an understatement."

Adam came over and patted Dean on the shoulder, "These are the rules we all need to follow once we put on suits in the future, and at least today’s legal consultation is free."

"Well, I’ll think about other ways to apply for the patent, after all even if I became a gigolo right now, I couldn’t raise that much money." Dean still underestimated the nobility of the American legal industry, where applying for one software patent could virtually cost him his entire fortune.

"If you became a gigolo, maybe you’d make more money than you would selling this software package." Adam looked Dean up and down, "What do you think, need to consider it? I know some wealthy individuals with particular tastes, the very rich kind."

"F*ck you!" Dean responded to Adam with a little middle finger.

"Mark, if a patent can’t be applied for, there shouldn’t be any problem with copyright registration, right?" Dean had done some homework and knew there were distinctions between the two.

"Of course, that’s what I was about to suggest to you." Mark pulled another document from his desk and handed it to Dean, "Registering copyright might not help you stop the emergence of other similar software.

Nevertheless, it gives a deadly blow to those thieves when pirated or cracked versions of Teams appear on the market. Most importantly, copyright registration is very cheap, 300 dollars will take care of all the procedural issues for you."

"Great, that’s exactly the price I can afford." Dean handed back the file folder about the Teams software to Mark, "So, dear Mark, will you take on this commission?"

Mark smiled and took the file folder, "Besides the material fee for applying for the copyright, once again, the service fee for this is entirely waived. But when Teams needs to hire legal counsel in the future, might you consider me?"

"No problem, if by then Teams can afford it." Dean nodded cheerfully. A deal with a Juris Doctor, it was very cost-effective.

After a brief legal consultation using his PBK connections, Dean had a general understanding of the challenges Teams might face in the future.

The good news was that Teams was a new invention on the market, so there was little to worry about in terms of infringing on others’ rights. The bad news was that patent application was a bit tricky, meaning there could be a slew of copycat software in the future.

Applying for a patent could help him filter out purely imitative competitors, while copyright registration was to prepare for combating piracy. Dean had only secured the latter, the former wasn’t easy to obtain without a cost.

Dean hadn’t decided whether to wait until he had more funds to handle this or to seek external help now.

But those weren’t the most important things. The urgent matter, of course, was figuring out how to sell the software in his hands.

"F*ck, Dean, this is definitely the most expensive computer I’ve ever used in my life." At that moment, back in the dorm, Marcus was carefully opening a packaging box.

Soon the plastic film was torn off, revealing the milky white square body underneath. Roughly 14 inches in size and 6 to 7 centimeters thick, it was many times lighter and slimmer than the bulky computers on their desk.

This was the latest model of the SupersPort series of laptop computers produced by Zenith, with an Intel 80486 chip that had just been launched this year, offering computing power that outclassed over 99% of computers on the market.

Of course, their price was heart-wrenching, retailing at twelve thousand dollars each. Dean had bought two outright, and this expense had instantly shrunk the assets of more than a hundred thousand dollars in his account by a fifth.

Laptop computers are essentially the forerunners of modern notebooks, with the addition of a stand at the bottom.

This was primarily because portable computers were quite heavy at the time, and the stand allowed for easier placement on a desk or more stable positioning on the laps.

Of course, Dean had cheaper options available. IBM, Apple, and Compaq all had similar products, with prices as low as one to two thousand dollars.

But Zenith was a supplier to the military, with products known for their durability and robustness. Dean chose this kind of portable computer of course to more conveniently promote his Teams.

He couldn’t exactly show up with a CD and then ask people to wait for the software installation before selling it. Believe it or not, he would be shown the door before he even finished talking.

Time is precious, especially for those executives in Silicon Valley offices. If you can’t capture their interest within a minute, then consider the pitch a failure.

So, to ensure the smooth operation of Teams, Dean Price bit the bullet and went for the top-of-the-line luxury option.

"Marcus, get the software installed. Test the communication between them, especially the connections between computers with different systems."

Initially designed for the Windows 2.0 system, Teams now had to contend with a variety of operating systems, including Unix, Apple’s MacOS, and MS-DOS.

Dean didn’t have the energy to develop Teams versions for different operating systems, but he ensured optimization for the mainstream Windows and Unix systems.

Considering that the same company might use different computer systems, Dean needed to ensure that Teams had the voice call feature across various system platforms.

This was a process of ongoing upgrades and maintenance. Less popular corporate user systems like Apple and OS/2 would have to wait until there was time to refine them.

Handing these miscellaneous tasks to Marcus, Dean rode his donkey straight to Menlo Park on the west side of Stanford. Heading down Highway 82 from the main entrance, Morgan Tailer’s headquarters in Silicon Valley was just 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

Yes, Dean bought another bicycle, still a $125 Huffy. The difference this time was the addition of a $30 custom lock.

With a twist of the key, the front and rear wheels locked in place. He didn’t believe that any thief would bother to remove his wheels.

Based on the information Gary left, Dean found the famed Wall Street of the West Coast near Sand Hill Road, at 3000 Sand Hill Road.

Well-kept green lawns, the maze of roads, and the ubiquitous cedar trees. Of course, most eye-catching of all were the adjoining yellowish-brown two-story buildings amidst the grassland.

Well, from a distance, it was just a small bulge not even a mile in circumference. A smattering of buildings circled around, occupying the main parts of the little hill.

This was far from the high-rise Dean had imagined. Indeed, if you really compared them, his dorm might even be more impressive.

After finding the direction to Morgan Tailer with the help of the signposts and carrying his bike, Dean swung the back of the bike and drifted towards a two-story building on the left.

After locking up his bicycle, Dean headed straight to the second floor. "Hello, beauty, is this Morgan Tailer Venture Capital?"

"Yes, sir. Do you have an appointment?" The only receptionist in the hall inquired about Dean’s purpose with a genuine Californian accent.

"Dean Price. I’ve spoken to Gary on the phone."

The brown-haired receptionist searched the memo for a while before finally finding Dean’s name.

"Please follow me, Mr. Price."

Under her lead, Dean soon met Gary, who was reading a newspaper in his office.

"Hey~ Dean, forgive me for only meeting you today. The sunny enthusiasm of San Luis, California, is hard to resist." When Gary saw it was Dean, he got up and gave him a hug.

Everyone was from Cleveland and business partners, so Gary felt the joy of meeting an old friend.

"I thought the girls here in California made you forget about this thing at Stanford. We’re not even 2 miles apart." Dean clapped Gary on the back and sat down familiarly under the surprised gaze of the receptionist.

"Seriously Dean, apart from the irresistible sunshine, the girls here in California are fiery hot." Gary winked at Dean, "Do you need me to get you a contact at the entertainment agency? The chicks there could eat you alive."

"Wow, that sounds intense."

"Yeah~" That knowing laugh between men grew louder.

Suddenly, both men in the office fell silent because the receptionist Nia came in with two cups of coffee.

"Thank you." Nodding politely, Dean flashed his most charming smile.

Once she was out of earshot, Gary joked with a laugh, "I bet she wouldn’t refuse if you booked a hotel in Menlo Park tonight."

Dean shrugged. "I need to keep things quiet lately, as there’s still too much to sort out."

"Alright, Dean, let’s get down to business." After taking a sip of coffee, Gary was ready to dive into the purpose of their meeting.