Chapter 8, Only when you are a brother will I speak to you

Many "utility models" actually only exist on paper; as long as they pass theoretical review, it does not matter if anything has been physically produced. Therefore, there is no need to create molds, and there are no production or experimental costs, resulting in a very low material cost

Those who are even less capable, or engineers who have no understanding of technology at all, can only resort to publishing papers. In contrast to the profitability of patent applications, publishing papers is a completely money-losing endeavor

It is not as difficult as you say. I have thought it over; let me review the patents. As long as the conditions for thoroughly searching the patent database are met and proper planning is done, I can produce a utility model in just one week of spare time.

Alright... Today was clearly meant to be a good time spent with Xiao Xuan for a farewell dinner, but you have caused quite a stir. However, I still advise you not to entertain such misguided thoughts. I know you have been feeling that what you are learning now is useless, but there is only one semester left in your senior year. Just endure it a little longer, and it will be over. Why bother?

Ferdinand's response can be described as formal and steady. Unfortunately, his social experience is not comparable to Gu Mojie, which allows Gu Mojie to instantly identify the flaws in the Ferdinand algorithm.

Ferdinand was momentarily taken aback. Fortunately, his mother was a partner at a prestigious law firm. Although he had no intention of pursuing a career in law, his exposure to the field from a young age allowed him to grasp the nuances well enough to keep pace with Gu Mojie’s line of thought

"Alright, A Jie, even if you are serious and have achieved results, who would buy this thing?"

Gu Mojie believes that given his current lifestyle as a senior high school student living on campus, other quick money-making channels are not applicable. Partnering with someone to manipulate academic data for a bit of service fee should be the easiest way.

As long as the engineers are willing to file patents, and the ideas and materials are in place, the remaining expenses such as attorney fees will certainly be covered by the company. Once the results are achieved, the enterprise will also reward individuals with bonuses ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands.

Given Gu Mojie's current status and circumstances, it is certainly necessary for him to pursue utility models. He is aware that he does not possess the requisite capabilities for inventions of that caliber.

From the perspective of an engineer who is navigating within a system, relatively capable individuals tend to prefer filing patents over publishing papers when they have the option to either pursue patents or papers to accumulate data

Specifically, there are requirements for the level of publications for the papers, such as being published in at least provincial-level journals

The reason why later generations have been fervently pursuing utility model patents while relatively fewer have sought invention patents is an important factor highlighted by Gu Mojie

Therefore, I am prepared to only provide the materials and give up my right to authorship. Once it is written, I will have the lawyer from the aunt's office find old clients to sell it. As for the profit sharing, I can ask for a little less; the money you receive will be split 30-70, with me taking 70 percent.

Do not underestimate the amount, as this bounty is specifically aimed at patents that, apart from serving as data for a patent, have no actual market value. Patents that truly possess market value, of course, are a different matter altogether, and the terms and prices would be discussed openly and transparently.

As for whether the content of the paper can pass muster, this is a question that need not be overly concerned about. This is because engineering always possesses uniqueness; even the repeated application of the most common technologies can yield a paper—at the very least, one can compare and analyze the original design intentions before construction with the completion report after final acceptance, and that alone constitutes a paper

The reason is simply that after liberal arts students enter society and work within the system for several years, when it comes time to evaluate for mid-level and senior professional titles, "papers" become an essential stepping stone.

Therefore, patents are not as sacred as they may seem to the average person, as if they can only be created by a genius with a sudden flash of inspiration

His confidence stems from his understanding of the scale of the academic fraud market from his previous life

... ...

Gu Mojie smiled, knowing that the other party could no longer find more excuses to refuse him. Now was the time to press the advantage and dispel the last lingering doubt in the other party's mind

This type of small business only offers a 30% attorney fee, and the people at the law firm will not agree to a profit-sharing arrangement; they will definitely charge on a per-case basis. Nowadays, even a small errand, if the attorney fee is less than 2,000 yuan, not even for just having tea, would be taken on by anyone.

After the dinner ended, a group of people went to KTV. Gu Mojie seized the opportunity, pretended to go out for a cigarette, and called Ferdinand out of the private room. He found a relatively secluded spot to express his thoughts.

In his previous life, during the two years at the state-owned enterprise, Gu Mojie encountered countless graphic designers who could only use Photoshop to create renderings, yet were on the upward path labeled as "engineers" or "designers." They lacked any technical knowledge, merely comparing the differences between design drafts and completion reports, and through bribery, published numerous papers, ultimately obtaining the title of mid to senior engineer.

Brother Nan, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I am truly in need of money

Liberal arts students often have an unnecessary reverence for "patents," while they do not hold the same level of reverence for "papers"

Paying 2,000 yuan to purchase a hard indicator for a professional title, while distasteful, is still somewhat cheaper than having inexperienced individuals hire ghostwriters to fabricate patents. Under the laws of the market, this has, in fact, spared the National Patent Office from being overwhelmed with work

Ferdinand was afraid that Gu Mojie would say something shameless again, which would embarrass everyone. He truly did not want to haggle in such a lowbrow manner like the vendors at the market, so he quickly interrupted the other party's line of discourse

This is where I need your mother's assistance. The utility models I have filed certainly hold no economic value and can only be used as data. However, those engineers within the system, such as those in state-owned enterprises, design institutes, and research institutes, will find them useful whenever they need to evaluate their professional titles

It is correct that you did not understand. Go back and tell your aunt, she will understand. In one week, I will show you a draft of our initial collaboration, and you will understand.

In most state-owned enterprises, obtaining patents can lead to bonuses. Companies also require indicators such as "how many new patents each year" to exchange for government incentives like "high-tech enterprise tax benefits" and other favorable policies. Therefore, acquiring patents is a win-win situation that serves the common interests of both the enterprise and the engineers

In 2002, high school students who can articulate the differences between inventions and utility models are certainly rare, which indicates that Gu Mojie truly understands the field. Regardless of Gu Mojie's technical foundation, the attitude and direction of effort are fundamentally correct.

It is generally understood that reaching the level of partner means one is unlikely to collude with outsiders to siphon off money from the law firm. However, the issue is that although Ferdinand's mother is a partner at the firm, there are several partners in the firm, not just her alone. Therefore, it is certainly possible to privately earn a little extra income, which could easily be two or three times more than what is taken from the firm's public accounts—provided that it does not get exposed, who would complain about having more money

Although I didn't quite understand, it seems quite impressive... It appears that I cannot outsmart this fellow when it comes to technology. With this thought in mind, Ferdinand decided to persuade Gu Mojie to abandon this fanciful endeavor from a different angle.

Certainly, the journal will not leave any evidence, as the two thousand yuan is nominally referred to as "typesetting fee". In other words, when authors shamelessly approach to request data for such papers, there is no remuneration for the manuscript, and they even have to pay the typesetting fee, which is generally not reimbursed by the institution.

Ferdinand originally did not intend to negotiate with Gu Mojie, after all, discussing money can harm relationships

The review process for utility models is quite lenient, unlike that for inventions; inventions require the actual object to be presented, whereas for utility models, there is no need to see the physical item. As long as the necessary materials and schematic diagrams are provided, and the theoretical review is approved, the patent office will grant the patent. Even the defense can be handled by an agent lawyer.

Since the technical argument is not convincing, let us discuss the market prospects. Ferdinand believes that he has been exposed to this area enough to be stronger than the other party.

However, things are not that simple. If a seemingly reasonable statement could easily persuade others to collaborate with you, it can only be said that Gu Mojie has underestimated the complexity of this world

Upon hearing Gu Mojie mention this, Ferdinand's expression became serious.

At this time, the value of "invention patents" and "national-level papers," as well as "utility models" and "provincial-level papers," is essentially the same. Regardless of the specific content, they are merely data that bureaucrats need to process.

However, he at least knows the approximate cost of lawyer fees nowadays. A small case worth only a few thousand yuan being split 70-30 is rather low. It is necessary to give a precautionary reminder to Gu Mojie:

For instance, in provincial-level journals, a page of text is clearly priced at 2,000 yuan. As long as the content is not too poor or outrageous, it is guaranteed that money will ensure publication.

Even so, he was almost astonished, wondering if Gu Mojie had become a different person, as if he had been possessed.

This price seems highly unlikely. Those incapable engineers within the system generally do not produce patents and simply give up, opting instead to pay for publishing papers. Your product can only be sold if it is priced lower than the patent rewards offered by their institutions, which means it can only be sold for a few thousand yuan at most per transaction

As for whether this subpar paper has drawn any valuable conclusions, that is another matter altogether

However, in reality, for a science student within the system, patents and papers hold almost the same value when you are preparing for the evaluation of mid to senior professional titles

I didn't quite understand ... ...

Apart from the one paper required for the title defense, the data from other achievements can almost be interchanged between patents and papers, and the prestige is not much higher than the haggling at a vegetable market

For example, when evaluating a senior engineer, it is required to have "1 invention patent, 5 utility model patents"; or "1 national-level journal paper, 5 provincial or industry journal papers"

In law firms, unless it is a sole practitioner, the firm typically pays lawyers a base salary, and then the income from litigation and agency work is collected through the firm's accounts and subsequently divided. For instance, in larger firms with higher base salaries, the distribution might be 70% to the firm and 30% to the individual lawyer. In smaller firms with lower base salaries, it could be 60% to the firm and 40% to the lawyer. The portion collected by the firm ultimately benefits a few partners. For instance, in larger firms with higher base salaries, the distribution might be 70% to the firm and 30% to the individual lawyer. In smaller firms with lower base salaries, it could be 60% to the firm and 40% to the lawyer. The portion collected by the firm ultimately benefits a few partners

What the heck! Are you planning to take the college entrance examination seriously? What were you thinking to consider applying for a patent? That stuff is so difficult, have you gotten yourself into trouble? Are you that short on money?

Brother Nan, don't be in a hurry. You have underestimated the amount—what we just discussed regarding the *illustration* and *book* is merely the division of profits among the three of us, and we have yet to mention the organization behind the buyer's engineer. Since we are utilizing the other party's authorship rights, their organization will likely use public funds to pay the law firm for the declaration agency fees, right? Moreover, this is entirely an additional business that has come out of nowhere, which means you have essentially earned an extra agency fee.

Alright, you have convinced me, but I will only relay this to my mother when I return. She definitely will not accept the gray money—however, are you truly confident in finding innovative materials? Why don't you practice with that matter concerning Xiao Xuan first?

By the 2010s, there were millions of technical workers within the system in China who needed to evaluate their professional titles, leading to an explosive surge in patent applications accepted by the National Patent Office, with over one hundred thousand applications in a single year being quite common—this does not even account for the less valuable design patents.

However, the term "patent" is not necessary; adding the word patent makes it seem very sophisticated, which may lead liberal arts students to refuse to engage with it

The additional attributes of the "Title Warehouse" led to the fact that the reputation of domestic journals had already deteriorated long before Gu Mojie was reborn in later generations. Researchers who truly wish to track the forefront of technology would never pay attention to such low-quality publications; they can only focus on the experts who publish in foreign N/S journals.

In terms of materials, I believe that the current market for utility model data in the country is virtually a blank slate, with countless themes readily available. At present, most people writing utility models do not yet construct patent barriers, nor have they fully exhausted the permutations and combinations of patent innovations. In particular, no one has thought to enumerate and exhaust those patents that possess technological innovation in terms of permutations and combinations, yet hold no economic value. If we are merely seeking data, we can completely approach it from this perspective.

These large enterprises and major research institutions only approach you twice a year. Whether delivering ten achievements or eleven, it counts as one trip each time. For the handling lawyer, the workload is essentially the same, isn't it? Moreover, although our private funds are limited, they can be concealed in the accounts, and in the end, it will be purely divided between the aunt and the directly handling lawyer—think about it