Chapter 108: Acquiring the Copyright Company

[Chapter 108: Acquiring the Copyright Company]

It was obvious that the fatal leverage over Iron Crown Company was in Charlie's hands. Unlike Saul Zaentz, Charlie had asked Harvey and the Tolkien Enterprises, the Tolkien book publishing management side, to reach an agreement not long ago. Corleone Copyright Management had obtained the derivative book adaptation rights.

Years ago, Iron Crown had been sued by Tolkien Enterprises for selling related single-player gamebooks. The other party clearly stated that these derivatives were books, while Iron Crown claimed these were game rights. As a result, Iron Crown's strength diminished significantly. Now, with the tabletop RPG license about to expire, losing this copyright could mean bankruptcy for the company.

Previously, Iron Crown had even sent emails and dispatched people personally to negotiate license contracts with Charlie. All those documents were shelved by Charlie. He waited to cash in after the release of The Lord of the Rings movie.

Now, Charlie had taken some interest in this publishing company. When he first learned about the so-called tabletop RPG games, he was surprised, especially upon hearing the name Dungeons & Dragons. 

At first, Charlie thought it was a good channel for expansion and distribution. But after some research, he felt it was rather insignificant. The market was too small and unprofitable! Moreover, with the rise of video games, these would eventually be sidelined.

However, Iron Crown was the best target for acquiring a publishing company right now! The rights held by Corleone Studios were Iron Crown's lifeline. With some maneuvering, they could easily acquire Iron Crown without much capital.

Though Iron Crown's financial and market status was poor, its assets were worth tens of millions, including some sales channels. Charlie hadn't been tempted before because he knew his own books couldn't revive or sustain the company. Getting it recklessly would be a big burden. But if they could obtain the Harry Potter rights, everything would change.

Many believed the success of Harry Potter was due to Warner Bros.' massive media empire and promotions. However, in fact, before Warner bought the film rights, the year after the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in spring 1998, the North American publishing rights had already been bought by Scholastic for $100,500.

In 1999, Warner paid $1 million for the adaptation rights of the first two films, and Rowling retained final script approval and some derivative sales rights. If Warner had truly bet everything on this book's prospects, why would they leave such generous conditions to Rowling?

Undeniably, Warner's films boosted book sales effectively. For Iron Crown, even without Warner's backing, the company could still be revitalized. Moreover, acquiring this company meant gaining its professional RPG tabletop designers and original RPG games, which would be advantageous when cooperating with video game companies in the future.

With the growth of the Internet and new media, film industry revenue would increasingly depend on non-theatrical markets and beyond just videotapes. Video game licenses would become important sales channels. To become a media mogul, one could not ignore building these major industry chains.

...

Charlie thought more and more it was a great idea; acquiring Iron Crown was imperative! He immediately shared this idea with Locke.

Locke, who had spent most of his life in book publishing and was recently ousted, was excited to hear about a second chance. "Dear Godfather, I swear to God, I will revive Iron Crown!"

"Bullshit!" Charlie rolled his eyes. As expected, Locke lacked confidence and after his grand words whispered, "What's the company's current status, Charlie? You have to license me some of your works."

Charlie thought carefully. With the copyrights in hand, it wouldn't be difficult to acquire Iron Crown through some maneuvering. The initial development funds could come from loans based on some bedtime story publishing contracts. As a bestselling author whose films like Fifty Shades of Gray and Wrong Turn had huge box office success, he could easily secure loans of several million dollars.

As for next steps... Charlie initially wanted to personally meet Rowling, but then realized it wasn't appropriate. With his rising fame in Hollywood, Rowling was smart; showing up directly would cause her to demand exorbitant prices.

So he quietly said, "I will discuss the acquisition of Iron Crown with Patrick, Gert, and the others later. You guys form a team and get it done quickly; it won't be difficult."

"Yes, don't worry boss!" Locke was a bit uneasy but trusted the people around Charlie, who had experience buying Death Row Records and other assets. Charlie's confidence showed he trusted them too.

"Meanwhile!" Charlie continued, "Under Iron Crown's name, go negotiate with Rowling's agent. At worst, secure North American publishing rights."

After a few months, once that was done, Charlie planned to leverage the hot sales of Wrong Turn and casually find a good moment to meet Rowling to discuss film rights. They would make it clear that Corleone Studios didn't lack projects; buying Harry Potter was just a bonus.

Locke patted his chest, "Don't worry, Charlie, just watch me!" This was his chance to strike back in publishing, so he would not slack off.

Still curious, Locke asked, "Charlie, are you so confident about Harry Potter, working so hard to get it? How did you even know about this book?"

Charlie chuckled calmly, "No confidence, I just always want to get all movie rights of the books I develop. Not much effort, right? As for where I heard it?"

He paused and shrugged, "We have some friends in Scotland. One of them knew Rowling's ex-husband, a radio journalist. Casual chat introduced me to this story, and it sounded good. You know, most bestselling book rights were already snapped up by big studios."

The details weren't critical, but Charlie gave a vague explanation.

"Alright, I don't know, but I trust your judgment!" Locke looked more confident.

...

"Hey, Charlie! Dear Godfather!" Suddenly, the party became lively. Kevin, Gore, and other Corleone Studios members rushed from the press conference.

"Ha ha ha, welcome back, victorious soldiers!" Charlie laughed and greeted them with handshakes, hugs, and fist bumps.

Actors like Halle Berry were joyful and humbly spoke a few words with the boss in the end.

Until -- Rachel, in her previous pure student outfit from the film, awkwardly held her long slender neck high like a proud and glamorous diva, teasingly tilting her head with a smile standing before Charlie.

Instantly, Charlie's smile froze, and his face darkened slightly.

*****

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