"Han Fuzi is currently working on the patent law. Aside from observing the refinement of the Azure Dragon True Medicine, there is another reason why I've gathered all of you here today. Han Fuzi wishes to seek the opinions of the Hundred Schools of Thought on revising the patent law. I hope that all of you can give me your opinions," Meton cupped his hands.
"Merton, you're too polite!" The people from the Hundred Schools of Thought clasped their hands. Everyone knew that the patent law was obtained by Mo Jiazi by giving up his monopoly over the Azure Dragon True Medicine. Why would he care about their opinions?
"Everyone, please come in. Han Fuzi has been waiting for a long time!"
Under Meton's invitation, everyone moved from the laboratory to the Mo Estate's living room. They saw that the School of Legalism's Han Zheng and Han Fuzi were already waiting for them.
"School of Legalism's Han Zheng greets everyone!" Han Zheng bowed solemnly.
"Brother Han, you're too polite!" Kong Yingda cupped his hands when he saw Han Zheng.
Han Zheng had been a doctor of the Imperial College for many years and had been close friends with Kong Yingda for many years. Han Zheng had resigned in anger because of Li Shimin's amnesty of the three hundred prisoners on death row. Kong Yingda had also tried many times to persuade him to stay, but he had failed. Of course, he had also been furious because Han Zheng had joined the Village of Thought.
Reality had proven that Han Zheng joining the Village of Thought was the best choice. Although Han Zheng had resigned in the past few years, his reputation in the court had grown by the day. Not only did the School of Legalism manage the Village of Thought, they even had a legal column to analyze cases and criticize unjust and false cases, causing many officials to tremble in fear.
"Brother Kong!" Han Zheng straightened his back and cupped his hands in return.
"Han Fuzi!"
"Professor Han!"
… … …
Everyone greeted him. They all admired this unyielding legacy of the School of Legalism from the bottom of their hearts.
Master Han returned their greetings one by one and invited everyone in. He said in a clear voice, "The School of Mo's patent law coincides with my thoughts for many years. I have studied many cases of misjudged cases. Some craftsmen have tried their best to protect the secret recipe in their hands. They passed it down to males and not females, passed it down to sons and not daughters-in-law, and said that they taught their disciples to starve the master to death. There were even some who sacrificed their lives to protect their family's secret recipe. No matter if they were coerced or tortured, they would rather die than say anything. They just wanted to let their descendants have the secret recipe and make a comeback. With the patent law, I believe that such tragedies will be greatly reduced."
The School of Legalism was naturally unwilling to see such a tragedy happen. The School of Legalism would not only reduce such tragedies, but also fill the gaps in the law.
Everyone nodded. What Han Zheng said was something they had often heard about.
"As the saying goes, if you listen to both sides, you will be enlightened. The Old Man has been entrusted by His Majesty and Merton to revise the patent law. I hope everyone can give me some advice." Han Zheng cupped his hands.
The Imperial Physician on the side was already unhappy that he didn't achieve his goal. He sneered, "This patent law is very beneficial to the School of Thought and the craftsmen. It has nothing to do with the School of Medicine. Do you think we doctors can apply for a patent on our own medicine?"
Han Zheng shook his head, "Naturally, we can't apply for a patent on a medicine. However, if a doctor can develop a medicine that can cure a disease, they can apply for a patent on the medicine and refine it into medicine. In that case, the medicine's patent will belong to them. Regardless of whether you want to monopolize the business or collect a patent fee, it's perfectly justified. The Azure Dragon True Medicine is the best example."
The Imperial Physician's eyes lit up. To a doctor, this was great news. With the encouragement of a patent, a doctor could be said to have both fame and fortune. They would be even more motivated to develop new medicines. Although he had been separated from the common people for a long time, he was still a member of the School of Medicine. He naturally hoped for the School of Medicine to flourish.
"The patent law doesn't only serve the School of Thought. As long as it's something unique to the Hundred Schools, they can apply for a patent," said Han Zheng proudly.
The other Hundred Schools of Thought inquired and asked questions one by one, and Han Zheng answered them all. Furthermore, when he encountered a unique opinion, he would gladly accept it. Just the Gongshu family's opinion alone was accepted by him.
Kong Yingda couldn't help but nod. This was what he admired the most about Han Zheng. As a descendant of the School of Legalism, Han Zheng had always been upright and plainspoken. Even though he was living in the Village Ink, he didn't side with the School of Thought in the slightest.
"It's a pity that the so-called patent law doesn't benefit the School of Thought. Brother Han, I'm sorry!" Kong Yingda inwardly sighed. With the patent law, the School of Thought was destined to soar into the heavens. The School of Thought couldn't avoid the School of Thought.
"As for the patent law, the Old Man still has some opinions that he wishes to consult the School of Thought!" Han Zheng suddenly asked Kong Yingda seriously.
"The School of Thought!" Kong Yingda couldn't help but be surprised. "Brother Han, I'm afraid you've asked the wrong person! The patent law has nothing to do with the School of Thought! "
Han Zheng boldly said, "That's not the case. Everyone believes that the patent law only benefits the School of Thought and the School of Medicine. However, in this Han's opinion, the School of Thought is the one that benefits the most."
"The School of Thought is the one that benefits the most?" Kong Yingda couldn't help but widen his eyes as he looked at Han Zheng in disbelief. Everyone knew that the patent law was something that Mo Jiazi had specially proposed for the School of Thought and the School of Thought. The other Hundred Schools of Thought were only incidental benefits. How could Han Zheng say that the School of Thought was the one that benefits the most?
Han Zheng nodded and said, "That's right! The so-called patent is the exclusive right to an individual's original creation. However, an artisan might not even be able to obtain a patent in his lifetime. However, for the literati, there is one thing that can be patented, and that is copyright. "
"Copyright!" Kong Yingda's mind couldn't help but explode as he instantly understood Han Zheng's meaning.
In terms of original creation, the literati's poems, songs, and essays were all original creations of their predecessors. Throughout the entire Tang dynasty, countless poems and essays emerged every year. Which literati didn't have a few poems? Once these copyrights were protected and there were profits to be made, it would be great news for the literati.
"The inspiration for the copyrights came from the Old Man's royalties. Every time the Old Man submitted a contribution to the legal column, the School of Thought would immediately give this Han a considerable amount of royalties. Let me ask you, if the Old Man's contribution was like this, then what if the literati's poems and essays were used by others? However, when the Old Man learned about it, he discovered that the literati's painstakingly painstakingly created poems and essays were compiled into books and sold at will for profit. Other than the School of Thought's publishing house, the other publishing houses didn't care at all and wantonly infringed upon the literati's copyrights," Han Zheng said in a clear voice.
Morton was instantly filled with righteous indignation. "Let's not talk about this kid's poems. Even the Lovers of Liang Zhu, which he painstakingly wrote, only sold a hundred thousand copies, while the other bookstores sold millions of pirated copies."
Although he knew that Meton and Han Zheng were singing the same tune, Kong Yingda couldn't refute it. Nowadays, no matter how talented the literati were, the poems they wrote didn't have any profits other than gaining fame. If copyright was included in the patent law, the literati would gain both fame and fortune and would immediately be supported by the literati of the world. If he openly opposed the patent law, he would be condemned by the public.
"Mo Jiazi's scheme is really good!" Kong Yingda sighed in his heart. Meton used copyright to firmly tie the Confucian School to the same boat. If the Confucian School didn't agree with the patent law, then they would naturally reject their own copyright. The secret techniques of the School of Mohism and the craftsmen could be kept secret, so the loss wasn't great. However, the poems of the literati were a sharp weapon to become famous. If they lost the copyright, then the loss would be disastrous.
"Then in Merton's opinion, how long should the copyright of a poem be? Could it only be twenty years?" Kong Yingda endured his unhappiness and asked.
Seeing this, Meton immediately knew that Kong Yingda had agreed to cooperate. He couldn't help but reveal a trace of a smile, "Poems and the secret techniques of the School of Mohism are different. The secret techniques of the School of Mohism exist in the world itself, but we were lucky enough to discover them first. However, poems and songs are created by the literati. If we create a poem and hide it, then even in a hundred or a thousand years, there won't be a similar poem. Therefore, no matter who created the poem, the copyright will belong to that person for life."
Kong Yingda finally showed a satisfied expression when he saw Meton elevating the copyright of the literati.
However, Kong Yingda wasn't satisfied with just this. He solemnly said, "I don't think it's appropriate to only have the copyright for life. If a talented person who wrote many poems and articles suddenly died young, or if a great work of literature was written, it would often consume the entire life of the literati. In the end, the copyright of the literati wouldn't even be as long as the twenty years of the secret techniques of the School of Mohism. I believe that the copyright of the literati should be inherited by their descendants for generations to come."
Kong Yingda's abacus was very well thought out. If the later generations could enjoy the copyright of their ancestors, and among the literati, the most valuable copyright was Kong Sheng's Four Books and Five Classics. If the Kong Family could reap the benefits of the Four Books and Five Classics, then the Qufu Kong Family would instantly surpass the Village of Mohism.
However, Han Zheng shook his head and refuted, "No, we can't. On one hand, we set up the patent law to protect the interests of the creators. On the other hand, we also want to promote the secret techniques and culture. If the copyright is owned by the later generations for generations to come, wouldn't it be good for promotion and exchange? Wouldn't that go against our original intentions?"
Kong Yingda couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He immediately knew that Han Zheng had seen through his little scheme.
Meton thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, why don't we make a compromise? The patent of the School of Mohism's secret techniques will still last for twenty years, but the copyright of the literati will be owned by them for life. Their descendants will own the copyright for fifty years after their death. After fifty years, the copyright will belong to the public and become a part of the thousands of years of Chinese culture."
"For life and fifty years after their death!" Kong Yingda nodded slightly. This condition was already much better than the School of Mohism's patent. Although he didn't achieve his goal, there was nothing he could say. Besides, even if he didn't agree, it would be useless. If the literati of the world heard this news, they would immediately abandon the Kong Family and stand on Mo Jiazi's side.
"Alright, this Old Man will agree on behalf of the literati of the world." Kong Yingda said solemnly.
"Alright, if that's the case, then the patent law written by the Old Man will be completed in the future. When that time comes, I hope that Brother Kong will be able to correct it." Han Zheng said candidly.
To him, this patent law was a gap in the laws of the past. If he could complete it, it would represent the next step of the School of Legalism.
Once the patent law was completed, it would be a win-win for the four schools of Confucianism, Mohism, and Forensic Science.
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