America 1982-Chapter 157 - 58: Before Contact_2

Another white-shoe firm assistant looked at Jason and said, "The internal discussion session is just an appetizer before the meal. The real feast will be when formal discussions with the other side commence. Then, not only will you understand what a predatory look is, but you will also recognize verbal traps in the opposing lawyers’ conversations. Today’s discussion is meant to give you a taste. The attorneys have prepared many tricky questions you wouldn’t anticipate, simulating the other side’s challenges. Know that not all questions can be deflected to your lawyers. While they can help you, many questions must be answered by yourselves."

"Doesn’t Tommy... Doesn’t Tommy need to be briefed on this? To be mentally prepared in advance?" Mark looked at Sophia and voiced his concern, "I mean, with so many lawyers in there, why did he go in directly?"

"That guy never worries about his psyche when doing anything because he’s long been no longer human at heart," Jason told Mark.

"I’m ready," said Susan, taking a deep breath and standing up to look at Sophia. "Can I go in now?"

Sophia nodded her head in slight surprise, "Of course."

"Don’t let Tommy mock us for not being as good as a girl, Mark. Let’s go in too," Jason took a few deep breaths. "As long as those bastards don’t ask me the same question Tommy just asked me, I’m not worried... No wonder that guy always makes sure to carry a Trojan on dates, even if he has to borrow money! Seven women bearing my children... F*ck!"

Holly stood up as well, "Let’s go. Actor Corporation has never had a rule where women could enjoy privileges."

...

"Mr. Tommy Hawk, I’d like to ask you, what made you decide to develop a software like OSS when there are already several similar products available on the market?" a middle-aged male attorney asked, staring at Tommy Hawk, who was seated at the long table.

Tommy met his gaze calmly and responded with a smile, "What do you mean by ’several similar products’?"

Susan, Holly, Jason, Mark, and even Sophia, who was observing, all frowned slightly. In their view, Tommy should have briefly clarified the initial purpose of the software development and then stopped talking without leading to other questions, which would give the opposing lawyers more opportunities to grill him.

"WordStar, Lotus 1-2-3, VisiCalc—these programs have the same functionalities as OSS. If the data I have is correct, they all came onto the market before OSS did," said the attorney, passing the question back to Tommy.

Tommy interlaced his fingers on the table, his tone even: "What is the definition of a similar product? United States commercial laws state that if products are over 75% similar, they are considered comparable goods. Can you tell me, apart from OSS, are there any other software products currently on the market that have both document and spreadsheet capabilities? By the definition of ’comparable,’ even if OSS’s spreadsheet function was identical to Lotus 1-2-3, from the overall product perspective, it would only be 50% similar, not meeting the definition of comparable goods. You asked the wrong question, sir."

"Mr. Tommy Hawk, you just mentioned that even if OSS and Lotus 1-2-3 were completely identical, does that mean you derived inspiration for developing OSS from Lotus software, and we understand that before developing OSS, you had purchased most of the commercial office software available on the market?" another attorney immediately threw another question at Tommy.

"I didn’t admit that they were completely the same, but I won’t deny that I derived inspiration from Lotus and other software. In fact, it was after seeing and diligently studying the spreadsheet functionality of Lotus that I decided to develop an office software suite." Tommy pondered for a moment, apparently confident that he had clearly thought through the attorney’s question.

Jason and the others let out a sigh and lowered their heads, with the attorney who had posed the question also glancing towards Delia. According to their agreement, it was supposed to be Delia’s cue to intervene, reminding Tommy of the standard answer to this question.

But Delia didn’t call a halt. The attorney had no choice but to address Delia directly, "Delia, if Mr. Tommy Hawk gives such an answer during the proceedings, I think you should realize that this is great news for the other side because we will then need to devote a significant amount of time and effort to prove to the court that OSS was not influenced by Lotus."

Delia nodded, "Following the normal procedure, what would happen after such a question?"

"If the lawyers representing us that day are not fools, this would be the moment to invoke a clause to prevent Tommy from answering any further questions the other side throws at him," the attorney told Delia.

Delia nodded again, "Good, Tommy, you are in big trouble now. To protect Actor and prevent you from causing further issues, the lawyers will cite Title 18 of the United States Code to temporarily suspend your speech and have you rest. The court officers observing will agree, but take note that they will accurately record your reaction. This alone can convince the court, the jury, and the opposition that you have something to hide. Moreover, the other side might persuade the court to arrange a hearing on this issue, to dig deeper and widen the rift. So don’t think you can get away with it for the moment and be complacent."

"Thank you all, lawyers. I’ll take my leave now. Susan, it’s your turn." Tommy stood up, straightened his suit, patted Susan on the shoulder beside him, and then looked at the other three: "Same goes for you."

"I thought you would come out swinging, buddy, but you’re out after just five questions?" Jason asked Tommy. "But don’t worry, I’ll hang in there till the end."