"Ethan—Jones—Can you tell me what's going on right now?"
An hour later, the door to Ethan Jones's new home was violently pushed open from the outside by Evelyn Johnson. The crashing sound carried all her fury. The snap of the lock and the way the door bent inward told the story of her unrestrained anger.
"Didn't you say Snake Game was your own idea? Didn't you swear you didn't plagiarize? Then why—why is Magnavox suing you now? Why are they saying Snake Game violated their rights?"
Evelyn slammed the document bag in her hand onto the coffee table in front of Ethan. Her own name was printed on the cover in stark black-and-white.
That's right—because she was listed as the co-inventor of Snake Game, Evelyn Johnson couldn't escape Magnavox's encirclement.
"I don't know…" Ethan shook his head hard, looking at his furious sister, just as confused as she was. "I don't know why Magnavox is suing us. I'm just as shocked as you are! But I can swear to you—I did not copy anything from Magnavox!
If I did, and you ended up being sued for it, you could shoot me dead on the spot! Use the Remington 870 you gave me!"
Ethan's words were absolute, his eyes burning with conviction. Those stubborn eyes and his oath made Evelyn close her own for a moment, forcing herself to take a few deep breaths. When she opened them again, her calmer tone carried the weight of trust.
"Alright… alright… I believe you. But then—what now? What's the situation?"
She didn't sit down, but instead jabbed her finger at the copy of the indictment on the coffee table.
"I can trust you. But the San Francisco court? They're siding with Magnavox, aren't they?"
Her sharp question made Ethan's gaze fall again on the indictment. The sight of it gave him a splitting headache—he'd been poring over it for the past hour, only to come away with one frustrating conclusion: he understood it, but he didn't understand it.
He understood the structure. The complaint followed the standard format: the court's name and the parties involved, a statement confirming jurisdiction, and the alleged facts showing the defendant's violation.
The first two parts were simple enough—anyone with a pair of eyes and half a brain could grasp those.
What he didn't understand was the third part: Magnavox's claim of infringement.
The complaint stated that the Snake Game created by Ethan Jones and Evelyn Johnson had infringed on Magnavox's U.S. patent US3728480 A.
Not understanding this was normal—Ethan had never even heard of patent US3728480 A, and had no clue what it covered.
But in any patent infringement case, the plaintiff had to spell out the details: the patent number, the invention's name, and a description of exactly how the defendant had infringed.
So he read on. And as he scrolled further down the document, Ethan felt his blood pressure spike.
The name of the patent was: "Television Gaming and Training Apparatus." The inventor was: Ralph H. Baer.
Magnavox's claim of infringement was: "Ethan Jones and Evelyn Johnson used Magnavox's patented technology without authorization, launched their own game 'Snake Game' on the market, and reaped enormous profits."
In fact, Ethan Jones could read everything written in the complaint.
But just because he could read it didn't mean he could understand it.
Because, to put it simply, the mysterious code US3728480 A mentioned by Magnavox referred to none other than the home game console Magnavox Odyssey!
And now—Magnavox was claiming that Snake Game infringed on the Odyssey?
What kind of deranged logic was that supposed to be? The more he thought about it, the more furious Ethan became.
"M—Fxxk!!! We're making a virtual game! How can my digital game infringe on a physical console?
If I could make a two-dimensional game infringe on a three-dimensional invention, then why the hell would I be making games at all?!
I'd just make the words on this paper leap out and strangle those Magnavox bastards to death!!"
Ethan raised his right hand, clenched it tight. Breathing heavily, he glared straight at Evelyn.
"Sister—do you still think I plagiarized? Do you really believe we infringed? Don't you think this is a joke?"
His barrage of questions made Evelyn frown. Up until now, she had been too shocked and angry by the summons to carefully check the details. But hearing her brother's words, she forced herself to calm down. Slowly, she sat down, picked up the indictment, and studied it line by line.
And then—"M—Fxxk…" She cursed too.
Because it was insane. Who told Magnavox they could stretch their claim this far?
Evelyn jumped to her feet, furious.
"No—we need to hire a lawyer for this! Since the San Francisco court accepted this case, it means they actually agreed with Magnavox's ridiculous statement! Oh Sxxt! How could they accept something so outrageous?"
Ethan nodded wildly in agreement. At this point, he honestly felt his IQ wasn't high enough to comprehend the twisted logic inside Magnavox's corporate brain.
And so, as Evelyn hurriedly dragged him to find Barbara, they were ready to vent about Magnavox's nonsense. But before they could even open their mouths, the professor—who had just finished her class—pressed her hands down, signaling them to stop.
Then she asked a strange question:
"Did Magnavox's California lawyer personally deliver the summons and complaint to you?"
Ethan and Evelyn froze, stunned. They exchanged looks, then both nodded.
"Yes. They even gave me a business card," Ethan said.
They pulled out the Sidley Austin business card the lawyers had handed over.
Barbara glanced at it, then smiled faintly.
"Alright, I understand. You'd better be prepared to go to court. From the looks of it, Magnavox is confident they'll win. They're not interested in settling."
"???" Ethan and Evelyn stared at her, baffled.
"Professor Barbara… what do you mean?" Evelyn asked.
Barbara didn't answer immediately. Instead, she led them into her office. After opening the door, she gestured toward the chairs inside.
"Come in, you two unlucky ones. The unlucky ones targeted by capital."
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