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CH35 | Heir
🕑 Added 2025-03-20 04:22:39 +0000 UTCMost of the patent task force members came from STEM fields.
To join the technology research lab, one had to have either a Ph.D. or at least ten years of experience at Taewoo Electronics.
Given their expertise, they quickly realized that implementing smartphone technology would be difficult.
As a result, most of them focused on patenting foldable phone technology, which could be developed with the current level of technology.
Among them, Park Jun-il stood out the most.
Having specialized in intellectual property at a top U.S. law firm, he knew exactly what was crucial for patent registrations.
He efficiently assigned roles to his team and quickly produced a patent draft for review.
"You’ve already put together a patent specification in less than a day?"
"We started with the most critical aspect of a foldable phone—the folding mechanism. Since it’s a relatively simple technology, we should be able to draft at least two to three patents per week."
A foldable phone is, as the name suggests, a phone that folds.
Although modern phones had improved significantly compared to older models, most were still simple block-like devices.
"Can we file these patents simultaneously in Korea and the U.S.?"
"Absolutely. To speed up the process, it would be best to work with a law firm. In Korea, we can use Taewoo Group’s legal team, but handling it in the U.S. might be trickier."
"Are you suggesting we use WilmerHale, the firm you used to work for?"
"WilmerHale is the number one law firm in the U.S. Working with them would save us a lot of time. The only downside is the cost, but if I personally refine the drafts, we could cut expenses by more than half."
"I’ll give you 10% of the saved costs as an incentive. Proceed with WilmerHale—we’re on a tight schedule."
If my memory was correct, the first foldable phone would hit the market in the first half of next year.
With only a year left, time was more valuable than money.
"Understood. Oh, and regarding the folding mechanism, the biggest issue seems to be battery technology. While filing the patent won’t be difficult, I’ve heard that Taewoo Electronics currently lacks the technical capability to produce it."
"Don’t worry about that. Just focus on the patent filings—I’ll take care of the technical challenges. Also, please review and refine the patent drafts from other researchers to ensure they’re ready for immediate submission in the U.S."
"Will that be included in the incentive as well?"
"Of course."
"In that case, I’ll handle all the patent draft revisions."
Was it his experience at a major U.S. law firm?
Park Jun-il had an uncanny ability to sniff out money.
Then again, U.S. law firms were just as money-driven as Wall Street.
***
WilmerHale’s partner attorney, Lincoln.
He stormed back into his office after an intense morning meeting.
Since Park Jun-il’s departure, no one had been able to fill his shoes, and Lincoln’s temper had grown even worse.
Could he bring Park back?
Just as Lincoln was lost in thought, his phone rang—it was Attorney Park.
"Hey, Park! Calling me already? Life in Korea must be tougher than you thought, huh? You've been there for a few days, so your homesickness should be cured by now. Just come back to the States. No point wasting your time in a place that doesn’t make you any real money."
[I have no intention of returning to the U.S. just yet.]
"Then why are you calling?"
[My company wants to file patents in the U.S., and we’d like to work with WilmerHale.]
"Patents? So you're still wasting your time on unprofitable work."
Lincoln smacked his lips in frustration.
Park was a lawyer who could earn billions of won from a single case, yet here he was, spending his time on patent filings.
Lincoln had half a mind to fly to Korea himself, grab Park by the collar, and drag him back to the U.S.
[I’ve already refined the patent drafts to meet U.S. standards. Would WilmerHale be able to handle the filings?]
"We don’t usually take on this kind of work, but since it's you, I’ll make an exception. After all, you were one of us, and I should have your back."
Lincoln agreed without hesitation, partly to put Park in his debt.
Besides, if Park had already polished the drafts, there wasn’t much to worry about.
All that was left was to place the documents in an envelope with WilmerHale’s logo and submit them to the patent office.
[We won’t be able to pay the high fees that U.S. corporations do. But in return, I’ll ensure the specifications are flawless before sending them.]
"If you wrote them, I have no doubt they’re perfect. We'll take just 30% of the standard fee."
[Are you serious? There might be a lot of cases.]
"How much is 'a lot'?"
[At least 20 cases a month, possibly more.]
"That many? You’re saying over 200 filings per year?"
Lincoln tapped at his calculator.
200 patent filings with almost no effort—just some minor administrative work and a few envelopes?
Even with the reduced 30% fee, the sheer volume would generate a significant profit.
As expected, Park was a goldmine.
Even after leaving the firm, he was still bringing fortune to WilmerHale.
[I’ll send over the formal contract. A Taewoo Group attorney from the U.S. branch will visit WilmerHale today.]
"I’ll handle the contract personally. If it’s your business, I should be the one overseeing it."
[Thank you. And just to confirm—200 cases is the minimum. It could go over 1,000.]
"You're getting a good cut from this too, right?"
[……More than enough.]
"As you should! A WilmerHale lawyer deserves nothing less."
The argument about returning to the U.S. disappeared entirely.
From Lincoln’s perspective, every case Park brought in would count toward his own performance.
This wasn’t just good—it was a golden opportunity.
A lawyer who successfully processed 200 patent filings a year?
This could be his ticket into WilmerHale’s senior leadership.
That same morning, he had been fuming like a volcano.
Now, he was grinning like a calm lake.
***
Not long after Attorney Park Jun-il left the director’s office, Jonathan arrived.
He had taken my rough sketch of the foldable phone and refined it, incorporating his own design philosophy to create a draft.
And he didn’t come alone—he brought along Joo Kwang-il, the deputy director of the Technology Research Center.
"I’ve put together a design draft. I just tweaked Kim’s sketch a little."
"This is more than just a little tweak! It’s a design that truly captivates people’s emotions."
As expected from the man who had designed the iPhone, he was on another level.
I had no artistic talent whatsoever, yet he had transformed my crude sketch into something so beautiful.
I admired the design in awe.
However, Joo Kwang-il viewed the draft through a different lens—one that prioritized engineering feasibility over artistic appeal.
"The design is undoubtedly beautiful, but it’s impossible to manufacture with our current technology. There are major battery issues, not to mention the extensive software development required."
"Deputy Director Joo, you’ve seen my initial concept, right? It includes various software-related technologies as well."
"And that’s exactly the problem. This isn’t just about creating a foldable phone; we’re essentially pioneering an entirely new field. Even if we assigned an entire team of software experts to this project, it would still take years to develop."
Taewoo’s Technology Research Center was home to many talented individuals.
However, the number of employees specializing in software development was relatively small.
Creating a foldable phone’s software in such a short timeframe was simply unrealistic.
Of course, I had already anticipated this issue.
In this era, hardware was still the primary focus of smartphone development.
But I knew that, in time, software would become even more valuable.
"That’s why I plan to outsource the software development."
"There aren’t many companies in Korea capable of developing smartphone software. And those that do exist are mostly subsidiaries of major smartphone manufacturers."
"My grandfather always preaches about globalization. So why are we limiting ourselves to Korea?"
"Are you considering outsourcing to a U.S. company? The research center’s budget wouldn’t be enough to contract an American software firm."
Taewoo’s Technology Research Center had financial constraints.
Taewoo Electronics certainly wasn’t going to provide funding, and my grandfather, who always downplayed the importance of technology, wouldn’t invest in software development.
But that didn’t matter—I’d just use my own money.
I had never planned on relying on Taewoo Group for software development in the first place.
"If outsourcing is too difficult, then we’ll just purchase existing software from another company—just as we’ve always done."
"A foldable phone is still an entirely new concept. What software company would develop software exclusively for a product that doesn’t even exist yet? Even if we offer a massive outsourcing contract, only a handful of companies would be willing to take it on."
"I’ll take care of that. I’ll be making a business trip to the U.S. soon. You don’t need to worry about the software."
The trip to the U.S. had already been planned.
Beyond the software issue, I also needed to discuss the Japanese-related derivative products sold on Wall Street, and my flight ticket had already been booked.
"Even if the software issue is resolved, what about the battery problem? With current battery technology, a foldable phone would be difficult to use. Unless users plan to keep it plugged in all the time, we need a higher-performance mobile battery."
"Don’t worry about that either—I already have a solution in mind. The research center should focus on the rest of the development."
The battery issue had come up once again.
But I had been funding battery experts with significant research grants for years.
Specifically, those who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their battery innovations.
And I had already mapped out an even bigger picture.
"If the battery and software issues are resolved, manufacturing the product based on Jonathan’s design won’t be a problem."
"Just make sure it happens. And proceed with the patent application for Jonathan’s design as well. Break down every aspect of the exterior and secure as many patents as possible."
"We will patent every single technology developed during the foldable phone’s production process. Nothing will be overlooked."
For the first time in a long while, Deputy Director Joo Kwang-il had said something I liked.
Since I took over as General Manager (Director), I had emphasized the importance of patents more than a hundred times.
The research center was rapidly transforming into a patent-focused institution.
And once Attorney Park received his massive incentives and bonuses, the pace of change would only accelerate.
As soon as people realized that patents equaled money, not only the dedicated patent team but even the product development team would start aggressively filing for patents.
"Then, Deputy Director, I’ll leave things in your hands while I make a quick trip to the U.S."
It was time to add the most crucial piece to the grand vision I was drawing.
Not just for the survival of Taewoo Group but for its future.
The time had come to shake hands with a giant—NEXT Corporation’s Steve Jobs.
