episode_0066

Since it is common sense that pictures are more difficult to print than text, even a three-year-old child knows this, I visited the newspaper company on Sunday with a hopeful heart.

“Well… if it’s a photo, the time is too tight…”

“I’ll pay any amount of premium, I have to publish it this time to run several ads by early October.”

“Text is possible, but still, photos…”

“The model is an elf?”

“Possible.”

“The time…”

“We can cut back on sleep.”

“Thank you.”

Thanks to that, I was able to place the ad without much difficulty.

Now that the ad has been placed in the newspaper, there are about four days left until the ad is distributed nationwide.

If I optimistically imagine that countless young ladies will be interested in the ad and inquiries will pour in from next week, it was time to prepare step by step before receiving them.

I entrusted tasks directly related to the work, such as preparing materials, to the employees, and I went to see my mother first.

“The fact that you brought up teatime first means you have something to say.”

“Yes, that’s right, I have a few things I want to ask you.”

“Go ahead and ask me anything, what problem is bothering you?”

“I want to prevent copies of the clothes I make, and I want to know if the method I’m thinking of is possible.”

“Preventing copies? That’s almost impossible with clothes?”

“It would be impossible if it were typical.”

It is virtually impossible to prevent the design of clothes from being copied.

This is because plagiarism in fashion design is difficult to prove.

Unless the patterns, materials, and even the position of the buttons are 100% identically duplicated, it is difficult to claim that it was copied.

Why?

Unless you’re making extremely unique clothes, many parts are bound to overlap.

Is the silhouette of a dress being the same plagiarism?

Or is embroidering roses plagiarism?

Or is it plagiarism if the number of buttons is the same?

As these things accumulate, it becomes very difficult to define what is plagiarism and what is not.

Even if it is defined, clothing is something that should be widely distributed to people, so if it is rashly defined and prohibited, the confusion will be too great.

So, to prevent plagiarism, you have to approach it in a slightly different way.

One is to introduce a genuine product authentication mark or trademark to make the copied product a fake.

“Can fabrics also be patented? It’s made with materials and combinations that didn’t exist before.”

The other is to block the method of copying itself at the source.

Designs can be copied as long as there are slight modifications, but not fabrics.

A fabric made with new materials, in a new combination, with new properties, this is not a design.

Since it is a new material and a new object, if the fabric itself or the manufacturing process can be enshrined in a patent, no one will be able to copy it.

Even if they do copy it, they’ll have to pay us royalties.

Then we can dominate the market for at least a few years.

“Hmm…”

My mother, after listening to my question, wet her lips with tea and fell into thought.

My mother, who was organizing her thoughts by tapping the table with her fingers, frowned and opened her mouth.

“It would be nice if the Ministry of Magic could handle it, but the Ministry of Magic’s patents are only available for materials related to magic. It’s possible if the production method, process, and conditions are strictly proven, and magical action accounts for more than 50%.”

“Can’t the witches’ spells be used?”

“It’s difficult, it fails on the first requirement, and those kids don’t use standard specifications, so the patent department will hate it.”

“But patents aren’t just for magic, are they?”

“That’s right, the Ministry of Commerce might be a little different. If it’s a completely new material, a fabric made with a new combination, there’s a slight chance. Do you have that fabric with you now?”

“Yes.”

I gave my mother the fabric, which I had cut in advance to the size of a handkerchief.

“Ah!”

My mother, who received the fabric, looked at it from side to side and touched it, immediately exclaimed and smiled.

“It’s completely different from existing fabrics. If you sufficiently emphasize that it improves on existing fabrics, it’s possible.”

“I see.”

A smile spreads at my mother’s positive opinion.

Of course, the result will depend on the review, but it was a good feeling to have a good start.

“William, what is this made of?”

“Silk, mixed with two types of new materials that the witches found and made into threads.”

“Two new materials? Did you have a few more besides this one?”

“Yes, I looked at at least twenty types.”

My mother clenched the cloth tightly and stared at me with a hawk-like gaze.

“William, this mother will solve the patent issue for this fabric herself, so take your hands off it and tell this mother everyone involved.”

“Yes? Mother, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“This mother is not as good as your father, but she is someone who has been involved in magic, so she knows how difficult and terrible the process of developing new materials or machines is.”

“Yes.”

“But the witches have found dozens of these unique and mysterious materials?”

“That’s right.”

“Ha…”

My mother raised her hand to her forehead as if frustrated and sighed.

And after taking several deep breaths as if trying to cool down the heat for a while, my mother opened her eyes wide and calmly continued to speak.

“William, this is not something that will end with just one fabric. The witches who are not interested in patents have found a gold mine of new materials. The person who occupies the witches first will leave their name in history and in the bank.”

“Ah!”

I forgot that wizards naturally apply for patents.

If the patents for new materials that can dominate the future are ownerless, then, as my mother said, it was not just one fabric, and it was not something I could handle.

“So, if you want to inherit a fortune that your grandchildren can live off of without worrying, quickly entrust it to your mother and father.”

“Yes, I’ll organize it right away and give it to you.”

“Okay.”

My mother smiled with satisfaction and nodded.

__

The National Secretary’s office, which I visited instead of Jim’s husband, who couldn’t leave the room for unavoidable reasons.

Instead of the tedious and formal audience chamber, the office, which is rarely visited by annoying nobles, was a very comfortable place.

Does that mean Jim’s husband was working comfortably in a place like this…?

It’s very annoying, and a heinous thought comes to mind that I should extend the unavoidable reason.

“Your Majesty, there is urgent news you need to know…”

As I sat crookedly in the chair with an unpleasant feeling, the National Secretary’s secretary opened the door and entered the office without a notebook.

Originally, it was an act that should be severely scolded, but looking at the urgent-looking elderly secretary, I could tell that now was not the time to argue about that.

“Your Majesty is not here now.”

“Yo, Your Majesty?!”

As soon as the secretary made eye contact with Jim, he scattered the papers he was holding in his arms and bowed his head with such force that he would break the floor.

“Raise your head.”

“I am deeply grateful for your grace, but Your Majesty, may I know why Your Majesty is in the National Secretary’s office?”

“Jim’s husband is busy for some reason, so Jim has decided to take on his husband’s work together for a while. What is the urgent news that the National Secretary needs to know?”

“Ah! Yes.”

The secretary gathered the papers scattered on the floor, neatly organized them, and placed them on the desk.

“Please listen to the story while looking at this first.”

“Hmm.”

“First of all, the news that Countess Hume, who came to the Imperial Capital, urgently returned last night.”

“She returned four days early, is there something wrong?”

“No, there was no problem at the Hume Count’s territory or the Hume Count’s townhouse.”

“Then where is Count Hume now?”

“He is still in the territory, but a large number of letters have been delivered to the Magic Tower.”

“Hmm…”

It was a suspicious move.

But since his two sons are still in the Imperial Capital, and he is Count Hume, there is nothing to suspect.

If he was someone who would do something suspicious, he could have done it dozens of times already.

“Just keep watching, and tell me when you hear new news.”

“Yes.”

“What’s next?”

“Next is a story about the Hume Count’s heir.”

“The second son?”

“Yes.”

“Now it’s going to be a bit interesting.”

It’s been so quiet lately that I was wondering if I should start nagging him, but he’s moving just in time, he’s a young man who knows Jim’s heart well.

“Sir William has contacted the newspaper company and placed an ad.”

“Hmm… is that the end?”

“He said that the model is an elf and that he will publish the ad in a series.”

“Publishing the ad in a series? Not publishing the same one multiple times?”

“Yes,”

“Hoo…”

An elf model and a series of photo ads?

He’s a young man who does the money game in a very strange way…

But to throw away money to this extent means that he is confident.

If he’s that confident, it’s polite for Jim to take an interest.

“When the newspaper is published, make sure it is delivered to Jim and Jim’s husband.”

“Yes.”

I hope he doesn’t disappoint Jim.

_

“Young Master, the newspaper is here.”

“Give it to me quickly!”

Just before getting on the carriage to go to work at the store, Francis came walking briskly with the newspaper, which arrived later than usual.

I snatched the newspaper that Francis handed me and eagerly flipped through the pages, looking for the page with the ad.

“Young Master, not there, here, it’s here.”

I was embarrassed because no picture came out no matter how many pages I turned, so Emily, who was standing next to me, grabbed the newspaper and turned it over.

“Oh, oh!”

The place where the picture was, was not in the middle of the page, but on the very last page, the page where short comments or advertisements were originally placed, half of which was occupied by the ad I placed.

[ Naturally Comfortably Beautifully ]

[ Atelier liberatio ]

“Kyaa…”

Our Thomas service was so generous that I felt like I was going crazy.