Chapter 388: Subduing the Enemy Without Fighting

Fighting a lawsuit is very money-burning, especially a cross-border lawsuit. Before, Dongling High-Tech fought a patent lawsuit with Microsoft, and they still ran to Logitech first, used the patent to exchange for a sum of money, and then invited the Vulture Law Firm to start fighting the lawsuit with Microsoft.

The patent lawsuit only involved the struggle between two companies. The anti-dumping lawsuit was a life-or-death struggle between two industries, so it was even more money-burning.

The Torch Group needed to invite lawyers and public relations companies. 3.5 million US dollars might not even be enough. In the future, they might have to add litigation fees.

However, this money would definitely not be borne by the Torch Group alone. The companies in the entire lighter upstream and downstream industry chain would definitely have to share it.

As for what to do if they didn't want to pay, of course, it was easy to handle. Any company that didn't want to bear its share of the litigation fees would not be able to appear in the Torch Industrial Park in the future, would not be recognized by the National Lighter Import and Export Association, and would not be able to export lighters overseas in the future!

Sometimes, when thunderous means are needed, thunderous means must be used. Only by having a Bodhisattva's heart and using thunderous means can there be peace!

Hearing the litigation fee of 3.5 million US dollars, Gu Dayang was startled. Converting this into RMB, it was almost equivalent to about 30 million. Using 30 million to fight a lawsuit was also a new domestic record.

"If the litigation funding is not enough in the future, the Torch Group and the National Import and Export Association can add litigation funding!"

Hearing this, Gu Dayang had the feeling that a great responsibility had been placed on him. With tens of millions of funds scattered in his hands, if he couldn't win the lawsuit, Gu Dayang wouldn't know how to face public opinion after returning to the country.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Dayang gritted his teeth and said, "I will definitely do my best to win this lawsuit..."

Li Dongling reached out, his eyes looking at Gu Dayang. "Professor Gu, it's good if we can win this lawsuit!

But the Torch Group hopes that you can lead the legal team to do the most important point, which is that if a winner cannot be determined in a short time, or the probability of winning is low, I hope this lawsuit can be dragged out. No matter what method is used, this lawsuit must be dragged out!

As long as it can be dragged out, you will be the great contributor to this anti-dumping case!"

Gu Dayang looked at Li Dongling and Zhang Xiaocheng in the office, not understanding. What other companies feared most when fighting a lawsuit was that the lawsuit would be dragged out, with a large amount of funds, manpower, material resources, and time consumed, but the lawsuit would be dragged out.

Seeing Gu Dayang's confused expression, Zhang Xiaocheng coughed and cast a questioning look at Li Dongling, not knowing whether to tell him about the other strategy on the Torch Group's side.

After seeing Li Dongling nod, Zhang Xiaocheng then opened his mouth and said, "Professor Gu, you have studied this anti-dumping lawsuit, so you should know that domestic lighter manufacturers have not really triggered Old Europe's anti-dumping laws!

This lawsuit is completely malicious targeting of domestic lighters by lighter manufacturers like Bic in France, using means outside the rules. This lawsuit itself is unfair."

"The Torch Group is prepared to start seeking opportunities next month to start impacting the overseas market, especially during the litigation period. The Torch Group's disposable lighters need to occupy an advantage in the Old European market!

Even an absolute advantage that overwhelms companies like Bic. Only by being able to fight can one stop the war. Only by daring to fight can one talk about peace. Subduing the enemy without fighting is the best of the best!"

Gu Dayang stared at Li Dongling and Zhang Xiaocheng in the office, feeling his throat dry.

Although Zhang Xiaocheng spoke implicitly, lawyers were experts in playing word games. How could Gu Dayang not understand Zhang Xiaocheng's subtext? The Torch Group was prepared to kill all those Old European lighter companies like Bic. In this way, naturally, there would be no victims. The plaintiffs were all dead, so naturally, there would be no lawsuit...

The method was feasible, but Gu Dayang felt terrified. Those companies like Bic, in launching the anti-dumping lawsuit against domestic lighters in Europe, were indeed harboring evil intentions.

But the Torch Group was clearly prepared to let those Old European lighter companies get what they asked for. Didn't they say domestic lighters were dumping in Old Europe? Then the Torch Group would really dump once, completely hammer the Old European lighter industry, and hammer them all to death. Then there would be no one shouting in the future.

"Professor Gu, this lawsuit needs you to bear the frontal firepower, to face the legal teams of companies like Bic, and to face the personnel of the Old European Ministry of Trade. If you hold on here, the Torch Group will have a chance!" Li Dongling gave Gu Dayang a look that said everything depended on him.

"I... I will definitely live up to the trust!"

What else could Gu Dayang say now? Having boarded the pirate ship, how could there be any reason to get off easily? Now what Gu Dayang needed to consider was how to face the lawyer team from Old Europe and then strive to win time for the Torch Group as much as possible.

When the Torch Industrial Park appeared on the News Broadcast and the National Lighter Import and Export Association was established, numerous companies in the Torch Industrial Park applied to join the Lighter Import and Export Association at the first opportunity.

Subsequently, a large batch of brands and parts companies in the domestic lighter industry also successively announced that they would move to the Torch Industrial Park.

In less than a week, the occupancy rate of the office buildings and factory buildings previously built in the Torch Industrial Park began to soar. After all, those who knew the times were heroes, and most people were like that. Those who were stubborn and had to experience hitting the south wall with their heads, hitting until their heads were broken and bleeding before they were willing to turn back, were after all a minority.

When the annual export share of lighters was held in the hands of the Torch Group with the help of the Lighter Import and Export Association, major domestic lighter companies began to know clearly that if they wanted to export lighters in the future, they would have to get the export share from the Torch Group.

After the Lighter Import and Export Association was established, it also lit three fires. The first fire was to represent the entire domestic lighter industry to respond to the Old European anti-dumping lawsuit.

The second fire was that the Lighter Import and Export Association announced that it would unite with the Work Safety Bureau, the Quality Supervision Bureau, the Standards Committee, and other departments to jointly launch lighter industry regulations and standards.

These standards were basically formulated according to the Torch Group's lighter standards. It was true that it was beneficial to the Torch Group, but in reality, it was also the first time the domestic lighter industry had standards.

With lighter standards, at least it would prevent domestic lighters from openly appearing with those shoddily made lighters that cut domestic leeks in the future. Domestic users using lighters had some safety guarantees.

The third fire of the Lighter Import and Export Association was to establish the National Lighter Safety Foundation. The Torch Group invested 1 million yuan as the start-up fund for this foundation. In addition, it stipulated that in the future, members of the Lighter Import and Export Association must pay membership fees of no less than 50,000 yuan to this foundation every year.

The Torch Group formed the National Lighter Safety Foundation, which would establish special lighter safety inspectors. Every year, they would conduct random inspections of lighters in various places in the country. This was to combat counterfeit and pirated goods.

In addition, seeking cooperation with insurance companies was to solve the losses caused by lighter quality problems for non-human reasons. The Lighter Safety Foundation could bear part of the losses.

This was actually also to re-establish the brand and image for domestic lighters, not just domestically, but also overseas, to make domestic lighters establish a safe and reliable image and be willing to bear the image caused by quality. Only in this way could domestic lighters be recognized by more people and go further!

Of course, establishing the Lighter Safety Foundation was actually also to avoid risks that might appear in the future for domestic lighter manufacturers like the Torch Group. There is nothing foolproof in the world. If a lighter safety problem really appeared in the future, they could also rely on the Lighter Safety Foundation to reduce the impact on the Torch Group as much as possible.

The Torch Group ignited the demand for domestic lighters, and the establishment of the Lighter Import and Export Association had a huge impact on the entire domestic lighter industry. Companies and practitioners in the entire industry were experiencing this vibration, and this vibration would only disappear after the new lighter industry pattern was formed!

"The Torch Group really has a big hand. This is the how many-th notice issued in these few days!"

Inside the Xinhai Lighter Company, Huang Guangze looked at the new document notice signed and stamped by the Lighter Import and Export Association and couldn't help but marvel.

Even those who couldn't stand the National Lighter Import and Export Association had to admit that the Torch Group was really changing the entire industry.

"This is the latest one, requiring domestic lighter manufacturers who do OEM for Japan, the Bangzi, and America not to engage in malicious competition, and stipulating the minimum OEM fee!"

After Huang Guangze finished speaking, he handed a document to Huang Xinhai, his words also carrying emotion. Domestic lighter manufacturers, in order to snatch OEM orders from overseas lighter manufacturers, almost broke their dog brains. They were willing to do it even if they earned a few cents per lighter, or even didn't earn money at all.

And now the Lighter Import and Export Association, in the name of environmental pollution, power consumption, etc., formulated the minimum OEM fee for domestic lighter OEM manufacturers. This made the competition among lighter OEM manufacturers still fierce, but at least they wouldn't lose money.

As for whether that group of Japanese and Bangzi lighter manufacturers were willing to accept the price increase of lighter OEM manufacturers, that was their business.

In fact, Japanese, Bangzi, and American lighter manufacturers had long been shattered. They used anti-dumping, tariffs, etc., to drive away domestic lighter brands, but they still used domestic lighter manufacturers for OEM production.

Looking at the shelves of Japanese convenience stores, they were all Japanese brand lighters, but they were basically domestic OEM.

If they didn't use domestic OEM, the production cost would be terrifyingly high, and it was hard to say if they even had production lines. Producing a disposable lighter cost over ten US dollars, and it couldn't be sold at all. Even with tariffs, domestic lighters could make a comeback and snatch the market.

This led to the fact that when the Lighter Import and Export Association acted as a referee and supervisor and re-formulated industry rules, not allowing domestic manufacturers to engage in internal competition, and formulated the minimum OEM price for each lighter, the lives of many domestic lighter manufacturers clearly became easier.

"The key is these two. The Torch Group has big plans!"

Huang Xinhai's finger pointed heavily at the lighter industry standard and the Lighter Safety Foundation. From these two documents, he felt that he still underestimated the Torch Group.

Those who don't plan for ten thousand generations are not enough to plan for a moment. Those who don't plan for the overall situation are not enough to plan for a region. From the things the Torch Group successively brought out through the Lighter Import and Export Association, Huang Xinhai could clearly feel that what the Torch Group was staring at was clearly not just the domestic market.

"That depends on whether the Torch Group can win this anti-dumping lawsuit!" Huang Guangze shook his head and said.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 389 =====