After learning that his company's field team had been steamrolled by the FBI, Mark Zuckerberg shot up from his seat.
But even though his features twisted and he transformed into a lizard, that terrifying, ferocious face didn't help him obtain even the slightest bit of useful information.
Faced with his roar, the subordinate who had come to report the news shook his head helplessly and said, "Boss, the current situation of the incident isn't clear. I came to report to you as soon as I received the news. For now, what we know is—"
"Our field team has all been wiped out."
"The FBI's operation was probably premeditated, or rather, carried out according to a complete plan."
"So, in the face of something like this, my personal suggestion is to communicate directly with the FBI."
"To see, whether there's been some misunderstanding?"
The clear and logical reply made Mark Zuckerberg frown.
Without hesitation, he waved his hand, signaling for his subordinate to go out and get back to work. At the same time, he took out his iPhone and dialed Sean Parker's number, hoping Sean could quickly call in help.
When something happened, finding connections was the highest-level way of dealing with matters. If power couldn't be abused, then there was no point in power existing.
Because Sean Parker was Facebook's president, when Mark Zuckerberg heard about the accident, Sean's subordinates were also reporting the sudden incident to him. After he comforted Mark Zuckerberg while dialing his father's number, asking him to call the current director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, to ask about the situation—
Pacific Time, August 10, 2007, one in the afternoon.
California.
Palo Alto.
Facebook headquarters.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg, angel investor Peter Thiel, and president Sean Parker gathered in the conference room.
"So, the FBI suddenly arrested people because of Time Warner??"
"Time Warner went to the FBI and said we seriously infringed on their rights??"
After listening to the information Sean Parker had investigated, Mark Zuckerberg instantly went numb. He summarized Sean's words in disbelief, while Sean Parker nodded helplessly and said, "Yes."
"The reason our people were directly cleared out by the FBI within a few hours is that Time Warner has been investigating us for the past six months and has sorted out the entire process by which we infringed on their rights—"
"But that's impossible—"
Before Sean Parker could finish speaking, Mark Zuckerberg interrupted him and roared, "Even if we really did infringe on Time Warner's rights, they couldn't possibly have sorted out the full chain of how we infringed on their rights!"
"Because before using them for marketing, I'd already put insurance on every channel!"
"There's no way they could have found it out!"
"Or rather, even if they investigated for half a year, the most they could find would be the individual infringers! They couldn't possibly trace it back to us! Even if they knew the real infringer was us! They couldn't possibly get evidence!"
"On this! I can swear!! Swear to God!!!"
Although this world was just one giant makeshift stage, the people who could climb to the top were truly not fools. So, when Facebook decided to attract traffic for itself by infringing on others' rights, they couldn't, and wouldn't, directly do something that was obviously illegal and would instantly be GG once caught.
Therefore, before riding the traffic, they'd already prepared a way out. That was the separation of production and sales.
The specific process was like this.
First, Mark Zuckerberg had someone set up a company far away from Facebook. This company specialized in content infringement, meaning it created fan works related to Isabella.
Then, he had this company cooperate with Facebook's ground promotion team in an independent capacity. In other words, they acted under the banner of "Time Warner," saying that "Time Warner" needed to establish an online fan group similar to the Mickey Mouse Club, and that they wanted to place the gathering point for this fan group on Facebook.
Finally, Facebook could unscrupulously siphon traffic from Warner's works without violating any laws.
Or rather, it was siphoning Isabella's personal traffic. Even if they were acting under Isabella's banner.
Because even if the independent company Mark Zuckerberg created was taken down by Time Warner, they only needed to say one sentence to the investigative authorities and the court to physically separate themselves from Facebook, and even escape all the legal responsibility they should have borne. That sentence was: "We only wanted to make a little money from Warner."
That was right.
The entire process was that simple!
The whole operation was that abstract!
As for why this method could avoid legal problems, that had to start with the system of the United States as a country.
The founding of the United States revolved around interests and capital. When the group of people who participated in founding the country were either landowners or slave owners, the greatest meaning of law in this country was to let power out of its cage and make the government the scapegoat that bore all sins. Therefore, in order to make things convenient for the masters, many American laws were complete nonsense that didn't match up at all.
And in the field of copyright protection, strictness and indulgence flew side by side.
The former, strictness, meant that anyone who violated the masters' power would be killed without mercy.
The latter, indulgence, meant that anyone dissatisfied with the masters' new orders would also be killed without mercy.
Yes! The establishment and implementation of law should be serious!
But Disney was too strong.
Every time Disney discovered that its Mickey copyright was about to expire, they'd try every possible way to demand that the U.S. government amend the law, ensuring that their own interests could last forever. And under Disney's constant manipulation, a very strange clause appeared in U.S. federal law: image copyrights could be registered indefinitely through minor modifications.
The most classic example was "Mickey."
Everyone knew that Mickey's copyright officially expired on January 1, 2024, but there was still not a single merchant in the world who dared to make non-Disney-authorized Mickey products. The fundamental reason was that what expired on January 1, 2024, was the very, very, very earliest version of Mickey's image. Mickey's other images still hadn't entered the public domain.
So, once a merchant used Mickey's image commercially, even if that person only used the earliest version of the image that had already entered the public domain, Disney could still sue the infringer through linked litigation.
There was no helping it.
Capitalism was just this superior.
But the clause Disney created was actually a double-edged sword.
Because American law only said that "image copyrights can be registered indefinitely through minor modifications." Because American law didn't say who could register image copyrights indefinitely through minor modifications.
Therefore—
The most advanced part of America was that anything not prohibited by law was allowed.
Venom in Marvel wasn't created by Marvel itself. Marvel paid money to buy it from a fan who made derivative works.
That was right!
The reason Mark Zuckerberg dared to recklessly infringe on Isabella's rights and Warner's rights was that "non-commercial derivative copyright" was protected by American law!
As long as the owner of a "non-commercial derivative copyright" didn't sell their work to anyone other than the "original creator," then the "original creator" couldn't sue them in the name of rights protection!
Therefore, as long as the independent company Mark Zuckerberg created insisted that it made derivative works because it wanted to be absorbed by Warner, then neither U.S. federal law nor U.S. local law could judge them.
Or rather, the only thing that could judge them was Warner's own gun.
Cough.
This was still the superiority of capitalism.
Because Sean Parker and the others all knew about Mark Zuckerberg's actions, after he roared, Peter Thiel immediately said, "So that means Time Warner, or rather Isabella, paid into the FBI?"
"It's possible."
Sean Parker nodded and said, "The current FBI director, Robert Mueller, belongs to the medical academic-capital circle."
"And the Ross family backing Barry Meyer is a close ally of the Cushing family."
"It would be very smooth for them to communicate."
The current FBI director Robert Mueller's great-grandfather was Gustave Mueller. This person was an authority in homeopathy, a branch of alternative medicine. Because homeopathy was extremely popular in the nineteenth century, he made a great deal of money, and in the end even opened a bank.
Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that Warner's godfather, Steve Ross' second wife, was named Amanda Burden.
She was a descendant of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She was also the granddaughter of Harvey Cushing, the father of American neurosurgery and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Her family and the Mueller family were on the same path. They were both spokespersons in America's top capital-circle medical group.
Then, although Steve Ross had passed away, Amanda Burden loved him very much.
One had to know that back then, American law didn't allow companies that produced content to operate their own channels, because it was suspected of monopoly. But because Steve Ross wanted to do television, Amanda Burden used her family's power to have the U.S. Congress change the law for Steve Ross, and then had American Express invest money into Warner.
Only after that did MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Television Network, and the merger between ABC and Disney appear.
Mm.
Steve Ross indeed wasn't a heavenly dragon. But he could still sit at the same table as Laurance Rockefeller. Because his wife was a genuine Brahmin. Because his father-in-law was Stanley Mortimer Jr., the heir of the Tilford family, the same family that had worked with the Rockefeller family on Standard Oil.
So, the FBI had taken down Facebook's entire field team in only three hours? In Sean Parker and Peter Thiel's eyes, that had to be because Time Warner had paid into the FBI! And this kind of "you have me, I have you" payment was something they couldn't stop!
"This is a little troublesome!"
After exchanging a look with Sean Parker and confirming that the information couldn't be wrong, Peter Thiel immediately said, "It looks like Time Warner and Isabella's goal is to kill us. As for this—"
After thinking for a moment, Peter Thiel suddenly turned his head. Looking at Mark Zuckerberg, he asked, "How much would cutting ties now affect us?"
"Huh?"
The sudden question left Mark Zuckerberg somewhat confused.
Peter Thiel didn't dwell on it and added directly, "How many users does Facebook have now?"
"Seventy-five million."
"When were you originally planning to cut ties with that company?"
"Oh, when users broke one hundred million."
Mark Zuckerberg understood what Peter Thiel meant. "Peter, we can cut it now."
"Because the potential users in the U.S. market have basically already been drained by us. I kept that company before because I wanted to go to Europe and drain traffic there, but now, from the current situation, safety is most important. Staying alive is most important."
"Okay. Then manage the company well."
Peter Thiel was very satisfied with this result. Then he moved his gaze to Sean Parker. "We go find people?"
"Mm." Sean Parker nodded decisively. "Find people immediately!"
Siphoning traffic wasn't something that needed to be done forever, because every traffic pool had an upper limit. It was impossible for someone to drain it endlessly.
So, after half a year of operation, Facebook had basically finished siphoning the traffic pool related to Isabella. The marginal diminishing effect had already become very obvious. Under these circumstances, the main reason they continued maintaining that company was because Facebook intended to step out of North America and move toward the world, because according to their development plan, they were preparing to establish their international headquarters in Europe next year.
At that time, Isabella's personal influence was global. Using her name to conduct ground promotion in Europe could easily push Facebook's user count past one hundred million.
However, none of the above could be realized now, because Isabella had already set her eyes on them. Because the moment Isabella made a move, she was pursuing nuclear annihilation.
Therefore, with Sean Parker's nod, the hastily convened meeting came to a hasty end.
Peter Thiel, Sean Parker, and even James Breyer, who didn't hold a fixed position at Facebook but owned a large amount of equity, all started calling their fathers.
As for Mark Zuckerberg, with no phone call to make, he powerlessly leaned back against the chair in the conference room. At that moment, he only felt that the soft chair back couldn't envelop his stiff body at all.
Since the world had never revolved around one person, while Facebook was frantically thinking of countermeasures, Barry Meyer also received a call from FBI director Robert Mueller.
When he learned that Sean Parker's father had already contacted Robert Mueller, he immediately laughed.
"Oh, Bob, thank you for your help. You've taken quite a bit of pressure for me."
"If you know I've taken a lot of pressure for you, then you should tell me how exactly you plan to handle this matter," Robert Mueller said rapidly. "Believe me, by the end of work today at the latest, someone will come looking for me."
"Oh, I understand, I understand. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."
Barry Meyer smiled and said, "I can share the plan with you right now, but before I share the plan, can you tell me what you found when arresting them? I imagine they didn't only infringe on our copyrights."
"Of course!"
Robert Mueller glanced at the documents on his desk and stared at the contents of the report as he said, "Aside from your HP and DC, they also combined Isabella's cartoon image, namely Isabella the beaver, with Marvel characters, Transformers, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, and a series of other works—"
"Okay. Then please do me a favor."
"What favor?"
"Tell Disney, DreamWorks, Paramount, Marvel, and the others about these things. Then, in the name of cooperating with the investigation, keep those people boxed in for twenty-four hours. As for after twenty-four hours, do whatever you want."
"???"
Barry Meyer's words made Robert Mueller frown slightly. "You're playing this big this time?"
"Haha, we're just protecting our legitimate rights."
Barry Meyer chuckled and said, "Then thank you."
"I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow night."
The act of doing the work first and settling the bill later made Robert Mueller roll his eyes wildly.
After the call ended, he took a deep breath, then shook his head. He understood what Barry Meyer meant.
Although Time Warner could crush Facebook on its own, doing so would also force Time Warner to pay a heavy price. So, since Facebook had also infringed on the rights of other companies, the cost of crushing it could be shared among all the rights holders.
What? Someone said the other companies clearly hadn't defended their rights, so how could Time Warner make them bear the cost together?
Simple!
I, Time Warner, will just make all of you defend your rights together.
Since everyone was familiar with one another, Robert Mueller didn't hesitate. After hanging up, he directly instructed his subordinates to call Disney, DreamWorks, Paramount, Marvel, and other companies.
After Disney's new emperor, Robert Iger, learned that while the FBI was handling an infringement case related to Time Warner and Isabella Haywood, they'd discovered that Disney was also a victim, he directly called Barry Meyer. "Why did you suddenly start doing rights protection?"
"Bob! What are you talking about? We didn't suddenly start doing rights protection!"
"Bullshit, the FBI already called me! They said we Disney are victims too!"
"Oh, then just defend your rights."
"What do you mean?"
"My meaning is very simple. I'm defending Isabella's rights."
The moment those light words appeared, Robert Iger immediately fell silent. After pausing for two seconds, he suddenly laughed. "Who's the enemy?"
"Facebook."
Perhaps because he heard laughter on the other end of the phone, Barry Meyer also raised the corners of his mouth.
"Facebook?"
Robert Iger wasn't unfamiliar with that name.
"Yeah—"
Barry Meyer said, "That company provoked the little princess. So, the little princess wants them to disappear."
"…"
Robert Iger fell silent again. Only after a long while did he nod and say, "I'll send someone to you."
"For what?"
"To get the materials."
"…"
At present, even Roy E. Disney had admitted that The Walt Disney Company belonged to Isabella, so, her rights had been infringed? If Robert Iger didn't help Isabella beat the other side to death, he wouldn't be able to continue surviving in the circle.
And while Robert Iger was flipping through Facebook's materials—
"Hey! Steven's looking for you!"
London.
Isabella had just finished filming when Chris Columbus handed her the phone.
"Huh?"
"Oh."
The sudden phone call surprised Isabella a little. But she quickly reacted. This was probably the inevitable reaction after Barry Meyer executed the plan.
After she picked up the phone and said "Hello," Steven Spielberg's voice entered her ears.
"The FBI called me. They said that while handling a case, they discovered someone had infringed on our rights."
"Oh, and then?"
"Then I wanted to know how far you want to take this."
"Oh, Steven, I've never actively attacked anyone—"
Isabella smiled and said, "So I don't know how far things will develop either."
The moment those bright and open words appeared, Steven Spielberg immediately chuckled and said okay. They didn't continue dwelling on such small matters and chatted about a few other things.
After the call ended, Steven Spielberg leaned back against his chair. Before making the call, he'd already looked into Facebook's situation and knew that Microsoft had invested in Facebook. So—
"Go to the FBI."
He said to his trusted assistant Catherine Kennedy beside him, "Go see exactly how those people infringed on our copyrights. Then, based on the specific circumstances, pursue it heavily."
"But while pursuing it, also give Paul Allen a call."
"Okay."
Since her boss had already made a decision, Catherine Kennedy nodded decisively and left directly.
And Steven Spielberg's decision was also Sumner Redstone's thought.
After listening to Paramount chairman Brad Grey's report, even though he didn't want to get caught up in this kind of boring struggle, he still asked seriously, "Is Barry Meyer's action this time legal?"
"Judging from the current situation, it's legal, because if it weren't legal, Barry Meyer would have coordinated with us in advance."
"Okay, then act according to the law."
"Understood, Mr. Redstone."
Since Robert Iger and Steven Spielberg were both Isabella's allies, and although Sumner Redstone wasn't Isabella's ally, he also couldn't afford to offend her, in their view, the current matter was still relatively easy to handle.
But when Marvel's chairman Isaac Perlmutter received the FBI's notice, he exploded instantly!
Because in his world, Isabella was using the method of striking the mountain to shake the tiger to force him to hand over Marvel's operating rights! The logic here was also extremely simple.
First, from his perspective, Isabella's acquisition of Take-Two was a response to his alliance with Microsoft.
Second, at present, everyone knew that Isabella held a large number of Marvel copyrights.
So, after the FBI received Time Warner's report and followed Time Warner's request to clear out infringement problems related to Time Warner, they discovered infringing items related to Isabella and Marvel. At that point, shouldn't the FBI have contacted Time Warner directly? Because the entire current matter had been directly initiated by Time Warner! Because Time Warner could directly contact Isabella!
But now the FBI had instead come to Marvel? Wasn't that clearly because they'd received Isabella's instruction? Wasn't that Isabella trying to use the FBI's giant hand to press Isaac Perlmutter's head down?
And once he, Isaac Perlmutter, lowered his head and became a messenger between the FBI and Isabella, could he, Isaac Perlmutter, still manage Marvel???
Right!
So—
"M, fuck!!!"
"That damned Isabella!!!"
"!!!"
Isaac Perlmutter waved his hand hard and slammed it heavily onto the table! His teeth clenched tightly! His chest rose and fell!
At that moment, he only felt that Isabella had gone too far in bullying him!
However, just as he was thinking about how he should act in order to resist Isabella's open scheme—
Bang, bang, bang.
A burst of urgent knocking suddenly sounded. Before he could even shout "Come in," the office door was pushed open from the outside.
He looked up and saw that the person who had barged in was his assistant.
"Boss!"
"Bad news!"
"Something huge happened!!!"
"CNN, ABC, CBS, and even BBC have all started reporting that Facebook infringed on the copyrights of multiple Hollywood content owners!"
"It seems the FBI contacting us just now wasn't done on Isabella's instruction!"
"She seems to be simply attacking Facebook!"
"It looks like she wants to kill Facebook with one punch!!!"