Chapter 27: Intellectual Property Issues

"This slave owner is praising her heir. Why didn't the Union Army replicate the Great Fire of Alexander and invade Texas to eradicate these bastards? It would have saved us a lot of trouble today," Alfred DuPont said angrily while holding the newspaper, harboring deep hatred for this direct competitor.

The most important thing was that there were many other competitors of DuPont in the North, whereas the Sheffield family stood out in the Southern states. Not to mention the rift after the Civil War, which hindered DuPont's expansion into the South.

In recent years, following the death of the second-generation leader, DuPont's development had shown signs of decline. Alfred was worried but helpless.

"Put away such thoughts. I don't believe some food chain was created by a child; it might have been bought by Mrs. Anna. After all these years, we should know that this lady is no pushover. Her husband wasn't the eldest son—his elder brother and others met with accidents one after another. Who knows, maybe Mrs. Anna had something to do with it," Thomas DuPont lit a cigar and shook his head with a wisp of smoke, "We know her capabilities too well. Fortunately, her son isn't much."

"Now it's us who aren't doing well. Since Eugene took over the company, our business has been struggling," Alfred sighed heavily, "Those old guys on the board are only interested in dividends. Nothing else can get their attention. What should we do?"

"You are a member of the board; it has nothing to do with me!" Thomas DuPont blew a smoke ring and said with relish, "Cigars are great, but they're tightly controlled by these Dixie people. We can't get our hands in. Think about it, how can a company not have competitors? Our company used to supply arms to the Union Army, while the Sheffield family supported the Confederacy. We couldn't possibly take all the profits. In fact, the Civil War weakened the Sheffield family. You know how profitable Mrs. Anna's labor trade was back then."

"Why don't Northerners like buying guns?" Alfred DuPont complained bitterly, without realizing that his own company was profiting from human lives. The right to bear arms was guaranteed by the Constitution as a free state right, yet their business flourished in the South. Where was the justice in that?

Although cowboys originated in Texas, that trend had passed. So when Sheffield suddenly appeared dressed as a cowboy, the surprise on his face was obvious—cowboy hat, lasso, revolver. If he wasn't mistaken, these were made in Habersburg's own factory. A moment later, as forty or fifty people slowly passed by, taking in the basic cowboy gear, he remarked, "It's been a few years since you've been back to Texas, hasn't it?"

Cowboy culture was already rare, and seeing so many people dressed in this basic outfit made Sheffield suspicious.

"Aunt Padra, could you tell my grandmother that we need to change clothes? We're going to Europe, not California. We'll go there eventually, but not now." Sheffield turned to the servant beside Anna with a smile.

Sheffield didn't doubt the professionalism of these former slave hunters—now Black Gold Company employees. This was evident from the calluses on their hands. Each of them must have experienced many stories, none of which had turned into accidents, otherwise, they wouldn't be standing here lively and kicking.

However, this cowboy outfit would be too unconventional and flashy for Europe, which didn't align with his life goals. He was formally going to Europe to investigate, not to emulate his father who went to Paris and disappeared.

"What's your name?" It was only now that Sheffield realized he hadn't asked the other person's name. As someone who prided himself on being polite, this oversight was unacceptable. For the sake of getting along during the trip to Europe, he asked.

"John Connor! I'm the captain of this team. I'll take care of your safety in Europe." John Connor looked straight at Sheffield, speaking with a hint of arrogance.

"Oh! Good name!" Sheffield leaned back tactically and naturally looked around. There was an open space with many maids tending to the flowers and plants. None of them looked like Terminator T1000. "Then, after boarding the ship, I'll be in your care. Rest in the estate for a few days first. It's been a long journey from Haiti; rest up."

As Sheffield turned away, unseen by anyone, he made a strange expression. What kind of lousy name was that?

There was still time before departure. Before leaving, Sheffield had to understand the characteristics of European countries and the Union in the industrial field. This wasn't difficult as long as he found the right direction.

After some investigation, Sheffield couldn't help but sigh. With years of experience reading newspapers, he could receive two completely opposite pieces of information from the papers, both appearing frequently.

On one hand, many people were proud of the Union's development speed, deeply believing that the American century was not far off. On the other hand, European countries were leading the trends, with everything starting to become popular in Europe before spreading to the Union.

Many hoped that the Union would gain recognition from European countries. It was common for European nobility to marry wealthy Americans, particularly European noble men marrying wealthy American women. Many tycoons talked about their noble in-laws with relish.

Even in the mansions of many famous tycoons, one could see shadows of European architecture and castles. To put it bluntly, they were all knock-offs. Those who thought this way were numerous. No wonder Anna said many Yankees were xenophilic, if that term could be used.

The current United States was a thorough knock-off empire. Intellectual property was almost non-existent. The disrespect for intellectual property was comparable only to the Soviet Union, which hadn't been born yet. The Soviet Union considered intellectual property and patents a form of exploitation and thus didn't recognize them.

The Union didn't bother with such niceties. If you invented something, they would just copy it. They didn't recognize European intellectual property rights, and even if you sued, you wouldn't win. Therefore, the Union's reputation in academic circles among European countries was poor—they saw it as a knock-off empire.

Sheffield was waiting for his people to find controversial patents and overlaps in intellectual property rights, preparing for another trip to Europe. Before the Civil War, Northerners organized underground railroads to steal labor from the Dixie states, earning them the nickname "Yankee thieves" in the Southern states.

Sheffield fully agreed with the term "Yankee thief." He wanted to be a legitimate businessman and prepare to discuss intellectual property issues with European countries.

(End of Chapter)