A Complete Waste of Effort

"That's interesting."

Wearing Bluetooth earphones, Meng Shu listened to Manager Liang's personal explanation while preparing the chicken wings in her hands.

"No matter how much you try to prevent it, you still can't stop trouble from coming to your door."

Manager Liang's calm voice came through the earphone.

[President Meng, I contacted you personally to ask for your opinion. We can also have the public relations and legal departments issue a statement to prove that the game did not plagiarize, since we released it first.]

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu smiled and shook her head.

"If you want to post this, you don't need to ask me, just don't involve me. The innocent will clear themselves, and I don't want to end up falling into someone else's trap."

Moreover, I don't want to engage in information warfare anymore.

The last sentence was what Meng Shu was thinking, and it was also his true meaning at this moment.

"Whether or not it proves plagiarism is irrelevant; it's just a trigger. There's no point in dwelling on it. The fact that Ji You mistakenly thought our Only Game was a studio under your Infinite Network Entertainment that they don't know anything about us."

"At the same time, if they want to use this incident to sue you and us, it only shows that their management at Ji You is a bit chaotic in the gaming industry. Suing their opponents without understanding them is a bit ridiculous."

On the phone, Manager Liang confused.

[President Meng, could you explain more clearly? The current CEO of Ji You is surnamed An. He is indeed a very capable person, but whether he understands games is unknown, and we don't know.]

Meng Shu took out a bowl, poured in the seasonings, and marinated the chicken wings while responding calmly.

"Successful businessmen don't necessarily understand the law, and capable managers don't necessarily understand game products. Being able to manage people and generate profits for the company is enough. Whether or not a manager understands games is completely unimportant."

"I spent some time hiring a lawyer to learn a little about intellectual property."

"If they intend to sue us for ' Ji You plagiarism,' 'innovation plagiarism,' or 'concept plagiarism,' then they are destined to waste their efforts."

Manager Liang's eyes lit up. From these few words, he could hear the absolute confidence of this young entrepreneur.

[So, President Meng, you're quite confident in handling their lawsuit?]

After hearing this, Meng Shu shook her head.

"It's not a response, it's ignoring it. This lawsuit is just a scare tactic. In the gaming industry, the only intellectual property rights that can be effectively sued are art resources, music resources, actor portraits, and script lines. As for gameplay, concepts, and innovations, they don't constitute plagiarism, so it's a waste of effort."

"Now that we understand that Ji You is a waste of time, what reason do we have to waste our time with them?"

"Therefore, simplicity is the true essence of life."

Meng Shu chuckled inwardly.

If the gameplay is considered plagiarism, then a certain fallen figure from grace in the original world might be the biggest winner, right?

Manager Liang had some doubts.

[President Meng, but they have a legal department; they shouldn't be unaware of this, right?]

"That's why I said it was just to scare them. Their legal department definitely knows these things. So this lawsuit is just for show, and also a warning to us."

but

If you really don't understand, that's also possible.

After all, when the lawyer from a certain Kunming company sued Bilibili, he even got their company address wrong, making a big joke in the legal profession.

Manager Liang!" came from the other end of the headset, followed by an awkward laugh.

[I can't learn as much as you young people. At my age, this is all I've managed. But President Meng, you're still very young. Their Ji You is planning to manipulate public opinion. I'm worried you might...]

Meng Shu raised the corners of her mouth, interrupting Manager Liang.

"Mr. Manager Liang, you're overthinking it. As I said before, plagiarism is just a trigger; targeting us is the real purpose. After all, no other company has officially entered the Horror Games market yet."

"Now that we know their goal is to target us, and that they're wasting their time, we don't need to play along. We can just sit in the audience and watch them perform in front of the public."

"If you feel you haven't had enough fun, you can come out and applaud to encourage them to keep going. As long as you enjoy watching it, that's all that matters."

"I can't do things like going on stage and showing my face in public, and I don't know how to do them."

Upon hearing this, Manager Liang sighed.

[President Meng, perhaps you don't fully understand the dangers of public opinion. Once someone manipulates and guides it, it can become a force that destroys you.]

"No, I understand public opinion all too well."

After all, this was once my weapon too.

Meng Shu thought for a moment, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Ji You itself has a bad reputation and has a certain negative image among players. The price and quality of its games are also one of the reasons for players' dissatisfaction. Plagiarism and copying are also a kind of evaluation that players ridicule them. With such a bad source of public opinion, I have three ways to guide public opinion and establish its own image."

Upon hearing this, Manager Liang was immediately taken aback and his curiosity was piqued.

[Could you describe your method?]

Meng Shu grinned.

"The first method is to create a CG animation, which could be for the next game or a game concept video, to divert attention."

"The second approach is to interact with players, have close contact with them, answer their questions, and build a closer relationship with the public, thus dispelling public opinion."

"The third option is to ignore all the tricks the Ji You makes. Just act normally and don't pay any attention to Ji You. Let them punch you but you don't get the chance. If they just let it go, so be it. If they want to continue, they'll probably fabricate slander. If it's the latter, we can use that as an opportunity to strike back. Although they are slandering us now."

"However, I think the above three methods may not be necessary, because players are not stupid. If a company with a bad reputation suddenly targets another company under the guise of fairness and plagiarism, especially when that company's game is selling well, players will inevitably have doubts."

"If Ji You wants to use players as tools and free online trolls, it might be somewhat possible if the company itself is clean. But if the company is so corrupt that it can't be cleaned up, how can it expect players to trust it? In the end, it will only backfire."

After hearing this, Manager Liang pondered for a moment, and then suddenly realized what was going on.

[I see, I understand. President Meng, if you need anything on this matter, please let me know or Supervisor Lian know. As a partner, Infinite Network Entertainment will definitely give you our full support.]

"Okay, thank you, Manager Liang. But as I said, both of us, as spectators, can just enjoy the Ji You performance."

Manager Liang said he understood, and after discussing some more questions about the game, he hung up the phone.

President Meng continued processing the chicken wings in his hands, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up again.

This plagiarism lawsuit by Ji You is destined to be fruitless and will only leave them looking bad.

He had seen and experienced this kind of thing far too many times.

It all boils down to one thing: with fame comes trouble.

Meng Shu remembered that something similar had happened in the original world, in "Ne Zha".

And it caused quite a stir back then.

At the time, the film was showing nationwide and was a huge success in terms of critical acclaim, popularity, and box office, with a very promising future.

Just when everyone thought that domestic animated films were slowly rising, a stage play company called Zhongying Group Corporation jumped out and accused "Ne Zha" of plagiarizing their "Five Dimensions Memory".

They filed a lawsuit against them, demanding compensation of around 50 million yuan.

Netizens were stunned; the sudden plagiarism of a wildly popular movie was hard for many to accept.

They all looked at the evidence of plagiarism presented by Zhongying, and they should have just looked away, because once they saw it, they couldn't help but laugh.

The evidence presented is completely fabricated, a mere attempt to extort money, and utterly baseless.

As a result, he was ridiculed and criticized by netizens.

Zhongying is also quite impressive, directly engaging in online debates with netizens.

Those claiming that "Ne Zha" plagiarized our work and that the online harassment against us is orchestrated by "Ne Zha" trolls are the ones supporting us. Those who truly support us are the righteous netizens.

This incident escalated, with countless people supporting "Ne Zha" criticizing Zhongying through various channels, urging them to face reality.

Another special effects artist came forward to accuse Zhongying of using his work for commercial purposes without permission, making Zhongying a laughing stock in this incident.

But stubborn as ever, Zhongying Film Group defied all opposition and still sued "Ne Zha," and the case was eventually decided.

Zhongying lost the case, and "Ne Zha" was found not to have plagiarized, thus truly calming down the incident.

This also turned the stage play company and its work "Five Dimensions Memory" into clowns.

In this world, his Ji You are not even as good as those of this China Zhongying.

At the very least, its reputation and public image are not as good.

And they're trying to stir up public opinion with this? Do they really think everyone online is a useful weapon?

Meng Shu shook her head, ignoring the matter and focusing on processing the ingredients in her hands.

After all, it was getting dark.

Weibo, under a 2000-word blog post by Jiyou Network.

There are very few comments, less than 50.

However, the previous blog post featuring horror and shooting received nearly 500 comments.

Therefore, the comparison between the two articles seems somewhat abnormal.

Although there were few comments on this blog post, they were surprisingly all supportive and agreeable replies.

Support Ji You! Support rights protection! Support original content!

[Only Game is disgusting. They have absolutely no skills and all they do is copy ideas from Ji You. No wonder they're still a small studio.]

[Does he really think he can do whatever he wants just because he has Infinite Network Entertainment as a backer? That's hilarious! They don't make proper games, all they do is copy other people's stuff. Excuse me!]

"Skyhill"? I think it's more like "Mountain of Plagiarism"! Can't you at least have some real talent? Making games is about gameplay, not copying, understand?

[Why isn't Only Game taking this game down right now? Are they just waiting to be bombarded with criticism from players? They actually dare to sell this thing for 298 yuan? It's embarrassing to even talk about!]

[Support Ji You's lawsuit against Only Game! They want to become famous through plagiarism? Dream on! Sue them! Sue them!]

This blog post was reposted by many other game developers, who also shared their opinions.

[Hoping to restore a positive environment to the gaming industry]

It's right to defend our rights; things can't go on like this.

Let's crack down on this unhealthy trend!

Games should bring players joy and relaxation, not pain and fear. We support protecting our rights.

I never advocate playing Horror Games, as they can have a negative impact on people. Of course, this excludes fast-paced, exciting Horror Games. So, to me, those kinds of games are considered heretical.

Protecting one's rights is a good thing, and we should support it.

Jiyou Network restricted comments on Weibo, and the comments were overwhelmingly supportive and applauded, making players and netizens feel particularly awkward.

They're not fools. Why is everyone praising it after the comment restrictions were lifted? Those who know, know.

There are also game developers who reposted and helped promote these games. Some players looked up their games and found that they were all very familiar with them, and all of them were listed on the Xiyou Platform.

Needless to say, we're all in the same boat, having signed contracts.

It's perfectly normal to speak up for someone.

After seeing these comments, players stopped playing the game and started criticizing.

If you can't post on Weibo, then go to Bihou, Danmu Network, the Fourth Calamity Club, or Podbean Reviews!

As a result, a large number of posts appeared.

What are your thoughts on Jiyou Network's lawsuit against Skyhill for plagiarizing gameplay?

[A company that already treats players like lambs to the slaughter suddenly claims to be fighting for justice for them? Utterly hypocritical!]

[Envious behavior! Ji You's accusations are purely out of resentment, an attempt to suppress smaller game companies]

[Excuse! Plagiarism is probably not the real reason; Jiyou Network is saying one thing and meaning another, and their true purpose is clear.]

What right does a company that plagiarizes have to sue others on the grounds of plagiarism?

Besides Bihou, the Fourth Calamity Club is also a hot topic of discussion.

"Weibo locked the comments section, allowing only long-time fans of ten years to reply. The comments were all supportive and applauded. Is this some kind of self-directed and self-acted drama?"

"As a player, I've been inexplicably represented again. Was my opinion even asked?"

"You see someone else's game is popular, so you start targeting them? You've got guts, Ji You!"

"I really don't understand. It's true that the horror + shooting combination was proposed by Ji You, but does that mean it's your patent? Does that mean the whole world can't add shooting elements to Horror Games, or add horror elements to shooting games? That's ridiculous."

"I'm dying of laughter. They copied someone else's ' Dark Forest ' and made ' Jungle Terror,' but they didn't even sell 2,000 copies. They're broken now, aren't they? Now they're accusing ' Skyhill ' of copying the horror + shooting gameplay. Is that considered plagiarism??? That's shameless."

"If horror + shooting is considered plagiarism, then all FPS games on the market are plagiarism. The ancestor of FPS games should hurry up and sue all these companies, and his descendants will be set for life for five or six generations."

"It's not just FPS games; racing games, soccer, basketball, RPG upgrade systems—they're all suspected of plagiarism. It's shameless! How can such a company exist in our country?!"

"Maliciously suppressing companies that stand out—is this the level of tolerance for leading companies in our country? What do you mean by 'for the players'? That's utter nonsense! It's probably just about whether you can make money yourselves!"

"Ji You, Ji You, makes terrible games, and you won't allow others to make good games. If they do, you suppress them and sue them. What kind of leader is running this company? Doesn't he know his company's reputation?"

"They know that, just look at the reviews. Ji You is well aware of its own reputation."

"Get out of here Ji You!"

Amidst the outcry and rebuttals from netizens, the Jiyou Network is now in a state of chaos.

Throughout the entire process, neither Only Game nor Infinite Network Entertainment made any public appearances.

Meanwhile, all of the games on the Ji You Cyber Platform received negative reviews, causing its reputation to plummet.

This incident became a topic of conversation among netizens and gamers.

Just as the Ji You's public relations department began spending large sums of money to delete posts in an attempt to silence netizens.

Shuo Guang from Danmu Network posted a status update.

The above content is not an accusation, nor a rebuttal, nor a proof.

Instead

A prize-winning activity?

Sorry for the late update. I accidentally fell asleep after finishing writing last night and only just finished editing. This chapter is a combination of two chapters, totaling 11,525 words including yesterday's three chapters. There are still two more updates today. I have to go out now!