Chapter 1281 The deal is concluded
The lawyer introduced by Alain Delon is named Henry René, a man in his late fifties.
The first meeting in the lawyer's office left a good impression on Ning Weimin.
This is not only because of his smart and capable face and gentleman-like dress, but also because of his calm and pragmatic work attitude and extremely high professionalism.
You know, even though he knew that being a legal consultant for such a large transaction would earn him a lot of money, the French lawyer still insisted on making the following remarks to Ning Weimin as soon as they met.
"Let me make it clear that I am a lawyer who has served Mr. Alain Delon for a long time. So sir, I have to make sure you understand that this time I am only providing you with legal services on a temporary basis regarding your deal with the studio. And this is based on Mr. Alain Delon staying out of the matter. If... I mean, if... your business negotiations with those two studios involve Mr. Alain Delon's interests. , then I will have to stop serving you midway, and I will also fight for Mr. Alain Delon’s legal rights as his agent.”
Looking at the side with a slightly embarrassed expression. Alain Delon, Ning Weimin expressed full understanding of this.
“No problem, I agree.”
What Henry’s lawyer said next made Ning Weimin even more confident in his ability to work.
"Let me make it clear again that I did not mean to target you, let alone humiliate you. Sir, if you were the most powerful filmmaker in France, or even a Hollywood movie giant, I would do the same . This is my business principle. If you ask Mr. Alain Delon, you will know that I have never been afraid of big shots, and I like to fight them in court. People get reasonable benefits, this is my career pursuit. Of course, my price is never cheap, and it matches my work ability. I hope you can be mentally prepared for this.”
Ning Weimin glanced at Alain Delon beside him, and he nodded slightly in agreement.
So out of "confidence", Ning Weimin then turned to face the lawyer and said with a smile, "I appreciate your frankness, Mr. Lawyer. Henry, can I call you that. I I fully understand what you mean. I can also assure you that I am not a stingy employer. If you are willing to be my lawyer, I have a check for one million francs ready to be given immediately. You. And this is still just an advance payment. If the transaction can be completed at a relatively reasonable price, you can also send me more bills."
"What should I do with your so-called reasonable price. Understand?”
“If the other party can make an offer based on the normal market price, I would like to offer a 20% discount on top of that. After all, it is a large transaction, and everyone thinks I am doing something stupid. I’m buying a bunch of junk that no one wants. So, it shouldn’t be difficult to achieve my small goal, right?”
The lawyer finally smiled.
After Henry took the check from Ning Weimin, he shook hands with Ning Weimin solemnly.
"As you wish, sir. From now on, I will be your agent. I will try my best to help you realize your wish as soon as possible."
Following him, he asked Alan again Long said, "Alan, we all have to have a drink together. Thank you for introducing me to a high-quality customer."
…………
Three days later, Ning Weimin took the lead in getting the Received feedback from World Television and Film Corporation.
He immediately called his temporary attorney.
Ning Weimin then took Matsumoto Keiko to meet with Henry René in his office.
It is also a coincidence that Mr. Lawyer has no urgent work at the moment.
So after they reviewed the terms of the contract that had been prepared in advance, they took the law firm's car together and went to the appointment resolutely and went to the World Television and Film Company.
This film studio started in the 1920s and still maintains the style of that era, completely looking like a traditional studio.
The layout is similar to the large shipyard of Shochiku Pictures and the Fog Film Studio bought by Matsumoto Keiko.
The spacious site is dotted with small buildings, which are all different studios.
The main building has only six floors and is an old building. Under the original architectural pattern, only modern facilities have been repaired.
So the administrative space of this studio is very small and crowded.
Ning Weimin and his party arrived at the sixth floor, where they met several senior figures from the studio who had been waiting for them in a relatively spacious conference room.
The studio's general manager, administrative director, and deputy general manager in charge of distribution operations have received authorization from the board of directors to negotiate a library deal.
So in addition to them, it is inevitable that the legal counsel of the studio is also here.
But what is a bit unexpected is that Henry Rene and the other party's legal advisor actually know each other. They were lawyers from the same well-known law firm, and they seem to have a very good relationship.
The two were very happy to meet on such an occasion, and they exchanged polite greetings without hesitation for a while.
This undoubtedly adds some additional favorable factors to the successful conclusion of this transaction.
In fact, the process did go quite smoothly.
After both parties got to know each other, the studio first took out the catalog from the film library and distributed it to Ning Weimin and his party for them to browse and read.
On behalf of Ning Weimin, Henry also took out his preliminary contract framework and had it read through in public.
Then the studio employees brought hot coffee and snacks.
The two parties began to drink coffee and talk about official matters and contracts like friends in a friendly atmosphere similar to chatting in a cafe.
As if this transaction is not very important, it doesn't matter if it's more or less, he talks about the terms and price slowly and like a gentleman.
There is no quarreling, arguing, insulting or attacking at all.
To be honest, this surprised Ning Weimin.
Probably due to the abuse of Hollywood, in his impression, he always believed that foreigners are not good at talking, are easily excited when talking about money, and like to bang the table and yell when talking about big business.
Originally, he had made some mental preparations for this meeting in advance, warning himself that if this happened, he must not get angry in a hurry, just treat himself as a bystander.
I didn’t expect that the live confrontation would be so civilized.
And he really became a bystander. He just watched the two sides calmly, and the deal was concluded in a gentle manner.
Both parties did not make any aggressive moves towards each other and behaved quite harmoniously.
Even in an environment where the language is unfamiliar.
Ning Weimin did not have time to think carefully about the price of 426,597,800 francs given by the other party.
In just one hour, his temporary lawyer Henry Rene adhered to his advance instructions and negotiated the final transaction price for him.
"They agreed to all your requests. I negotiated a price of 330 million francs for you. This is better than the target price you requested. So please sign, sign these documents, All commercial rights in the films and TV series on these catalogs in Asia will belong to you and your wife. Of course, signing this document means that you must fulfill your legal obligations on time. The important thing is, one week. You have to pay, at least 200 million francs, otherwise you will be in trouble. So... you decide what you want..."
Henry René said in English. , happily spread the contract in front of Ning Weimin.
However, the French lawyer, who was proud of his efficient work results, did not expect that Ning Weimin would actually return to him the words he had said three days ago. "I want to send the final terms of the contract to Paris by fax machine and ask the lawyer there to review it for me. Is that okay? Sorry, Henry, I am very satisfied with your work. I also hope you can understand that I am not targeting You, it’s not that I don’t respect you, it’s just...”
This made Henry René feel like he had been flashed in the waist.
But he was a professional lawyer after all, so he just shrugged in surprise and was not too emotionally conflicted.
"Understood. Just out of caution and doing business first."
Then he took the initiative to ask.
"Send the fax now, or do you have to go back and do it later? If you do it now, I will ask them to provide the equipment..."
"Okay, send the fax now."
That's it. In the afternoon of the same day, Ning Weimin, who had been waiting for several hours, received a reply from Paris, saying that there was no problem with the contract and that he could sign it with confidence. back.
Ning Weimin, who had already tasted coffee at World Television and Film Company, had a staff meal, and was drinking afternoon tea, finally ended the pleasure of eating and drinking at other studios. Time, officially signed his name on the acquisition contract.
From then on, he bought out 2,100 film copies and more than 600 TV series, more than 60 animated series, and more than 80 documentaries originally owned by World Television and Film Company. Full copyright and commercial rights within Asia.
And prepare to transfer all this to the name of Matsumoto Keiko Kiri Productions through another document later.
Not to mention, after signing, Ning Weimin issued a check for 200 million francs on the spot.
He also understood that since he would be given early in the morning and late in the evening, why wait until a week later?
It is better to pay the down payment in the presence of the lawyers of both parties, which will reduce the legal risks and make you look more generous.
When these things were completed one by one, needless to say, Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko were extremely excited.
For Ning Weimin, this is almost the largest transaction he has ever made, and it is also a trick with old-style capitalism.
No one knows better than him what he has taken from these French people. This is a big leak of cultural copyright.
He already has a pretty complete plan in mind. These copies will be temporarily stored in Japan and will be transferred to his home country when the time is right.
This not only facilitates the realization of preservation conditions, but also helps to recover costs due to the Japanese preference for pink movies and the existence of many independent theaters across Japan that are willing to play art films.
It can also be used to help fog studios deduct taxes.
To put it bluntly, if the books are written, the Japanese government may end up spending money to purchase properties for them.
And in this way, maybe within a few decades, those French people will regret it.
I hate that they were so stupid that they packaged it up at such a cheap price and sold it with their own hands, the crystallization of their most creative period. Instead, he, an Oriental, made a lot of money from it.
For Matsumoto Keiko, she is completely intoxicated by the happiness of love and marriage.
You know, she is a person who is obsessed with movies and takes movies as her lifelong career.
Not only did her beloved not let her retire after marriage, but he also personally helped her improve the finances of the office, helped her buy a studio, and produced blockbuster movies like "Li Xianglan" that shocked Asia. , saved her acting career.
Now, countless copies of the film from a major French studio have been purchased for her.
How could she not be moved, how could she not be excited?
With her knowledge of the film industry, she certainly knew that these copies were hot potatoes.
But she didn't care at all whether the deal brokered by Ning Weimin contained risks.
Because in her eyes, Ning Weimin did this all for her.
Rather than saying that she was superstitious about Ning Weimin's business ability, it would be better to say that she was glad that she had found true love.
So no matter what Ning Weimin chooses to do or what she is willing to do, she will never object.
She will only support unconditionally, cooperate without reservation, and regard it as the greatest happiness in her life.
She didn’t know the Chinese proverb “When you marry a chicken, follow the chicken, when you marry a dog, follow the dog”, but she already had this awareness and determination.
As for those French people, several senior executives of World Television and Film Company are of course very happy.
None of them expected Ning Weimin to do things so happily. They originally thought they would have to compete on price with another studio.
Unexpectedly, after the negotiation was completed, the contract was signed on the same day, and the money was given immediately after signing the contract.
So even if the deal was completed, the overjoyed general manager of the studio still stayed as a customer with sincerity.
"Excuse me, I would like to take up a little more of your time, gentlemen. I propose that we all drink a toast to our happy cooperation."
There is no chance of objection at all, The staff who had been prepared took action upon hearing the sound.
In the blink of an eye, several female employees from the studio walked into the conference room carrying a plate of wine glasses and a bottle of Rémy Martin cognac, and respectfully presented a glass to every big shot present.
At this time, the general manager took the lead in raising his glass and said, "For our happy cooperation and for our opportunity to cooperate again, please cheers! To our friends from the East!"
That's it! In this way, everyone on the scene drank up their wine.
Of course, there was another person who was also very happy that the transaction could be completed so smoothly, and that was the lawyer Henry René who temporarily took over the business.
Normally, for such a large amount of transactions, both parties to the transaction are usually very cautious, and it is easy for variables to arise in the middle of the negotiation due to large differences between them.
According to Henry's own estimate, even if Ning Weimin did not have unrealistic demands, it would take at least about two weeks.
After all, there is another studio that will provide comparison, so you can choose the best.
He really didn't expect that his job ended in just four days, and Ning Weimin didn't even wait for another company's quote.
And this means that like a pie falling from the sky, he easily made a lot of money and can get his reward soon.
He was even considering whether to take an early vacation for himself, and rented a yacht to take his wife and children to Morocco and Nice for a few days.
So he was so happy that when he just left the studio, as soon as he got into the car, he couldn't help but ask for payment for himself.