The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 533: Chapter 533: International Patent

Ye Feng smiled at his father’s praise. ”Actually, this has its advantages. It can stimulate the economy and allow people to own a home with less money upfront.”

”But at the same time, there are significant risks! That’s why banks must assess the borrower’s income when issuing loans.”

”Take White Crane Village and Jinshan Bay, for instance. They receive dividends, so their annual share is quite large. Add to that their salaries or business income, and their monthly earnings are substantial.”

”That’s why the sales model used by the Jinshan Bay Real Estate Development Company can be implemented so smoothly.”

”Another project is a collaboration with the district’s power utility, built on their own land in partnership with the Jinshan Bay Real Estate Development Company. Those employees have relatively stable incomes and high salaries, so repaying their loans is not an issue.”

”So, they personally raised a 50% down payment, with the remaining 50% due upon taking possession of the home. If they don’t have enough for the final payment, they can take out a bank loan using their salary income as collateral.”

”A portion of their salary will then be used for loan repayment each month. Of course, if they don’t want to pay interest, early repayment is also an option. The bank has relevant policies for this, designed to protect the interests of all parties and ensure everyone benefits.”

Ye Zheng nodded. ”This model is already quite common overseas and in Hong Kong. Although people take on debt, they also get to own and enjoy their homes much sooner.”

”However, we must also be very wary of capital expansion. Without the constraints of laws and regulations, it can expand chaotically and ultimately harm the interests of the common people. Some developers might take the money and fail to build the properties properly, or even abscond with the funds.”

Ye Feng agreed completely. ”That’s why we need to be cautious. If the higher-ups are still concerned, we can continue to observe and not rush things. We should wait until we’ve identified more potential issues and developed reasonable solutions before promoting it on a wider scale.”

Ye Zheng nodded. ”Good! I understand. We are all aware of the contributions you and Xiao Rui have made.”

Ye Feng smiled. ”I know, Dad. No matter my position, I’ll always work hard to do my best.”

While in Beijing, Ye Feng also made a point of visiting the photolithography machine R&D team.

He commended them on their results and encouraged them to keep up the good work to produce photolithography machines with even greater performance.

With support from experts from Mao Bear Country and funding from Ye Feng, Professor Xu’s team at Tsinghua University had made very impressive research and development achievements.

”Mr. Ye, rest assured. Our work will be ready for mass production within six months. At that time, we’ll be able to produce photolithography machines with superior performance.”

Ye Feng praised him, ”Professor Xu, thank you and your team for so many years of diligent research. It’s because of the foundation you’ve built that we avoided the incredibly difficult stage of starting from scratch. We were able to move directly from the first phase to the second, developing an even more advanced photolithography machine.”

In the past, when Professor Xu led the team, their research funding had been far too low.

Furthermore, some domestic compradors were constantly clamoring that it was better to buy than to build.

As the ’Reform and Opening Up’ policy intensified, these figures gained more influence, and R&D funding became increasingly scarce.

Without the financial support from Ye Feng, they couldn’t have continued their research at all.

’Mr. Ye might be young, but he is incredibly bold and has great foresight.’

’This kind of technology isn’t created overnight. Once you fall behind the competition, it’s incredibly difficult to catch up.’

’Mr. Ye not only provided R&D funding but also brought in many relevant experts from Mao Bear Country. Our research has been progressing by leaps and bounds.’

’The development of the first-generation machine was nearing completion, and they had already assigned some experts to start designing the second generation, striving to surpass foreign technology.’

”It’s all thanks to Mr. Ye’s support. We will certainly do everything in our power to continue our research. However, we suggest applying for international patents so that we can sell our photolithography machines all over the world.”

Ye Feng smiled. ”For confidentiality, let’s just apply for domestic patents.”

Professor Xu was taken aback. ”Aren’t we going to enter the international market?”

Ye Feng smiled. ”Do you think the nations of Europe and America will buy our photolithography machines?”

Professor Xu shook his head. ”They won’t.”

Ye Feng replied, ”Since they won’t, the significance of us applying for international patents is actually not that great.”

Professor Xu thought for a moment. ”But if they use our patented technology, we can charge them for it!”

”Besides, do you think they won’t use our technology just because we don’t file a patent? Technology can’t be monopolized!”

Ye Feng was taken aback by this. ”Leaks?”

Professor Xu smiled and pondered for a moment. ”That’s a possibility, but it’s not just about leaks. They could also get their hands on one of our machines and reverse-engineer it.”

”Then they’ll secretly use our technology without paying us, and we’ll be left with no recourse. I just don’t think your plan is feasible from a purely confidentiality-focused perspective.”

”Besides, there’s another benefit to filing for international patents. If foreign companies use our patents, we can use their technology in return. That would enable us to build photolithography machines with even better performance.”

”If they don’t let us use their technology, we won’t let them use ours. Even if patent issues slow down our national development efforts, the R&D of foreign capital will be even slower. This will gradually allow us to seize the initiative.”

Ye Feng thought for a moment. ”Professor Xu, can you give me a few days to consider this? I’ll give you a reply within a week at most.”

Professor Xu nodded. ”Alright, I’ll wait for your reply, Mr. Ye. We haven’t joined the WTO yet, but the country is actively pushing for it, to become part of the global industrial supply chain and take on manufacturing transferred from Europe and America. Patents are an unavoidable part of that.”

Ye Feng nodded. ”Mm, I’ll consider it carefully.”

He visited not only Professor Xu’s team but also the experts who had come from Mao Bear Country, personally helping them solve problems in their daily lives.

Working for a CEO like him, all the technicians had to do was immerse themselves in their research; they didn’t have to worry about anything else.

The research funding was more than ample.

Could anything be better?

Taking the things Wang Liwen had prepared, Ye Feng returned to Shencheng.

Ye Feng discussed the matter with his maternal grandfather, his aunt, and Han Xiaorui. He even called over his uncle, who was vacationing on his yacht in Shencheng, to join them.

They ultimately concluded that Professor Xu was correct.

Thus, they held a meeting and resolved to apply for both domestic and international patents.

After receiving authorization from Ye Feng, Professor Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

’It didn’t matter that Mr. Ye didn’t understand the technology—they did.’

’A leader who listened to advice, was open-minded, and decisive was a good leader.’

Lately, Alyosha had been looking for business opportunities with two of his friends, hoping to source some goods from Hua Country to transport and sell in Mao Bear Country.

But after searching everywhere, they hadn’t found anything suitable.

So, he and his friends brought gifts from Mao Bear Country and paid a visit to Ye Feng’s home, hoping to get his help.