Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 172

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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172. I can’t stand watching other people dip their spoons into my honey jar.

In Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany, at the Fraunhofer Society Research Institute.
Dietrich Genscher, a middle-aged man with blonde hair and a trimmed beard, paced nervously through the Research Office in his white coat.
He would stop, check the watch on his wrist, then resume his restless wandering—a pattern he had repeated countless times.
The Young Researcher, sitting tensely in the corner, finally couldn’t bear to watch any longer and carefully spoke up.

“Doctor, it doesn’t look like we’ll get results today. Why don’t you head home?”
“Hmm. They might still call, even if it’s late. Let me wait a bit longer.”
“I’ll stay here in the Research Office and let you know immediately if the phone rings.”

Given the late afternoon hour, even he could see the odds of a call were slim, yet Dietrich Genscher glanced at his wristwatch once more, reluctant to leave.

“I’ll stay for just thirty more minutes, then I’ll go.”
“Very well.”

Dietrich Genscher stopped his pacing and tried to calm himself.
He thought that if he sat down and smoked a cigarette, his nerves might settle a bit.
Just as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket, the telephone suddenly rang loudly.

Ring! Ring!

The Young Researcher started to get up to answer, but Dietrich Genscher, moving faster, grabbed the receiver and spoke immediately.

“Hello.”
[Is this the Fraunhofer Research Institute?]
“Yes, it is.”
[I’m looking to speak with Doctor Dietrich Genscher. Is he available?]
“This is Genscher.”
[Ah, I see. This is Joseph, the representative from IEEE Division 3.]

At the mention of IEEE, Dietrich Genscher swallowed hard, the receiver still in his grip.
IEEE—the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers—was an international organization established to set technical standards for electrical and electronic technologies and to publish them.
Dietrich Genscher and his colleagues had submitted their digital music recording format, which they had researched and developed over a long period, for adoption as an international standard, and today the results had finally arrived.

[Congratulations. Your submitted digital audio recording format has been adopted as the technical standard, and it has been decided to call it MP3.]
“Is that truly the case?”

Dietrich Genscher asked in disbelief, and the voice on the other end of the line responded with a laugh.

[Yes, it is. The official documents will be sent by fax shortly.]
“Thank you so much!”

Dietrich Genscher replied, his face flushed with excitement.
The Young Researcher beside him, who had been watching anxiously, noticed the standard adoption and silently clenched his fist in joy.

[The adoption of the standard will be officially published in the next bulletin along with the materials you submitted. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the association at any time.]
“Yes, of course.”

After Dietrich Genscher hung up the phone, the Young Researcher could not contain himself and asked immediately.

“Doctor! The standard has been adopted, hasn’t it?”
“Yes. I just heard from them that the committee has made its decision.”
“Congratulations, Doctor!”

Dietrich Genscher then patted the Young Researcher’s shoulder with a heartfelt expression.

“You’ve worked hard all this time as well.”

After sharing the joy for a moment, Dietrich Genscher suddenly turned around in a flurry.

“I should inform the other colleagues about this news.”
“You should. Everyone must be waiting for your call.”
“I’m sure they are.”

Picking up the phone again, Dietrich Genscher called first his mentor and the professor who had greatly contributed to the technical development—Professor Georg of Erlangen University.

* * *

Seok-won spoke as he covered the signed approval documents and returned them to Na Seong-mi, who stood before his desk.

“I’ll bring you a cup of coffee.”
“Yes, sir.”

After Na Seong-mi took the approval documents and left, Seok-won alone checked the stock market movements on his computer.
The market, which had successfully rebounded thanks to the influx of additional foreign capital, continued its upward trajectory, rising roughly ten points today as well.
While reviewing the stock price movements of major holdings invested by the PI Department in sequence, the vibration alert on his mobile phone sitting on the corner of his desk rang out.
As Seok-won picked up the phone and answered, the familiar voice of Landon Shore came through.

[Boss, it’s me.]
“What brings you to call at this hour?”
[I’m reaching out because I have good news.]

Just then, with a knock, Na Seong-mi entered and set down a teacup emanating a rich coffee aroma before him.
As Seok-won held the phone to his ear and gave a slight grateful glance, Na Seong-mi smiled and quietly exited again.
Leaning back comfortably in his chair, Seok-won adjusted his grip on the phone and opened his mouth.

“Tell me what this is about.”
[Among the patents we acquired from Thomson Company in France last time, the digital audio compression technology has been officially adopted as an IEEE standard.]

Since this was news I had been waiting for, I straightened my upper body with visible delight.

“Is that really true?”
[Yes. Dr. Genscher in Germany informed me directly, and we’ve also received official documentation from IEEE confirming the adoption.]
“That’s excellent.”
[Ah, and they’ve decided to name the technology adopted as the standard MP3.]
“It’s convenient to call and sounds good.”

No one knew it now, but this was a historic moment when the technology that would usher in a revolution in digital music received international recognition and took the stage.

‘And with this, I’ve acquired a honeypot that will steadily pour hundreds of millions of dollars into my lap every year without lifting a finger.’

Since I possessed the foundational technology patents, anyone wanting to manufacture products using MP3 would have no choice but to pay me licensing fees.

‘When Apple’s iPod was selling best, annual sales easily exceeded fifty million units.’

Even at just five dollars per device in patent licensing fees, that exceeded two hundred fifty million dollars.
When combined with licensing fees collected from other MP3 player manufacturers besides Apple, the amount would grow even larger.

‘And in a few years, smartphones will come out with MP3 functionality as an essential feature. This is truly a goldmine.’

Thinking of the massive amount of patent licensing fees I would collect going forward, I felt satisfied even sitting still.

“All rights to the MP3 patent belong entirely to Thoth, correct?”

Thoth, named after the Egyptian god of wisdom from ancient mythology, was a patent-specialized enterprise that I had established.

[Of course. Thomson Company provided research funding on the condition of acquiring complete patent rights to the developed technology, and since we inherited the contract as is, the MP3 patent belongs entirely to Thoth.]
“Excellent.”

I continued speaking with a satisfied smile playing at my lips.

“Please convey my sincere gratitude to Dr. Genscher and the entire research team, and make sure to give them generous bonuses.”
[How much should we allocate?]

After a moment of consideration, I replied.

“Give Dr. Genscher and the core researchers one million dollars each. And don’t overlook the rest of the team who contributed to the technical development—give them hundred-thousand-dollar bonuses as well.”

Landon Shore seemed taken aback by the unexpectedly large sum.

[That’s quite substantial, isn’t it?]
“They worked hard and delivered results, so it’s only natural to reward them.”

Honestly, I would have preferred to give them more, but this was still the early stage when MP3’s true value hadn’t yet been revealed, so I settled for this amount.

‘In the original timeline, they developed the MP3 technology and made it an international standard, yet received nothing beyond research funding.’

Once people understood how invaluable it would become, this compensation would seem almost trivial.

[With respect, sir, the technology doesn’t seem particularly valuable, yet the compensation appears quite excessive, doesn’t it?]

Landon Shore spoke carefully.
We had purchased the MP3 rights from the French Thomson Company for one million dollars, so offering bonuses far exceeding that amount was understandably bewildering.

“It may seem that way now, but it won’t be long before it becomes a goose that lays golden eggs.”
[….]

Though I spoke with great confidence, Landon Shore remained skeptical about whether it would truly become so valuable.
However, since I held the decision-making authority and, more importantly, even millions of dollars in bonuses would be negligible compared to my personal wealth that continued to accumulate in real time at this very moment, he simply complied with my instructions.

‘My stake in Netscape alone, which recently underwent a stock split due to skyrocketing share prices, is worth nearly a billion dollars. There’s nothing more to say.’

The internet fever, which scarcely cooled and instead burned ever more fiercely, propelled Netscape’s stock price beyond one hundred dollars per share—a remarkable feat.
Founder Tom Harper then accepted Seok-won’s counsel and decided to split each share of the now-overpriced Netscape stock into two shares.
At news of the stock split, investors erupted in jubilation, and Netscape’s share price surged even more powerfully.

[Understood. I will distribute the bonuses as you have instructed.]
“Ah, and I want you to acquire not only our core technologies but also all related peripheral patents. Secure them completely.”
[How far should we extend the acquisition scope?]
“If it’s even remotely related, don’t miss a single one. Buy them all.”
[If we do that, the number of patents to acquire will become quite substantial.]
“Whether it’s ten or a hundred, it doesn’t matter. Purchase them all.”

As MP3 usage surged, it was as clear as day that so-called “patent trolls”—entities seeking to extract licensing fees from related technologies—would inevitably emerge.

‘I won’t tolerate watching others dip their spoons into the honeypot I’ve already claimed.’

If Seok-won controlled not only the core technologies but all peripheral ones as well, even patent trolls would not dare covet MP3.

‘Moreover, possessing all related patents will give me a decisive advantage when negotiating with companies seeking to use MP3 technology.’

No matter what approach others took, it would be nearly impossible to circumvent Seok-won’s patents—he would inevitably hold the upper hand.

[Understood. And there is one more matter I must report.]
“Go ahead.”
[I have reached final agreement with Blizzard’s management on the acquisition price.]

Seok-won’s eyes gleamed with interest as he asked.

“How much?”
[The terms are to acquire one hundred percent equity for a total of twenty-three million dollars, including ten million in debt assumption.]

Considering Blizzard was still a mid-sized game company without any major hits, the valuation was quite generous.
Yet Seok-won, knowing that blockbuster titles like Diablo would soon pour forth in succession, instructed without hesitation.

“That’s a reasonable sum. Proceed with the contract as discussed.”

Landon Shore, well aware of how determined Seok-won was to acquire Blizzard, privately wondered if the price was too steep, but he simply nodded without comment.

[Very well. I shall handle it as you have directed.]

After chatting a bit longer, Seok-won ended the call and picked up the teacup before him, sipping the coffee that had cooled to just the right temperature in the meantime.
Then, with an expression brimming with anticipation, he murmured to himself.

“Now that I’ve acquired Blizzard, I might even be able to play the Diablo beta version that should be nearly complete by now.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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