Episode 20: Mido Machinery
“A lawsuit? Are you saying Mido is threatening to sue us?”
“That’s right. They’re accusing us of stealing independently developed crane design blueprints and cost information, and leaking them to competitors. They claim it caused them significant sales losses. I could get blamed for just sending a blueprint. Boss, please save me.”
Lee Chang-jin couldn’t believe the lament of Deputy Manager Woo Seong-chan, who had come to the office.
What nonsense were they spouting when they had copied things themselves?
Claiming patent rights over crane design blueprints was absurd.
In fact, even the technology Mido had was copied from overseas and applied international standards.
However, it was natural for Deputy Manager Woo, who was legally ignorant, to be terrified.
Lee Chang-jin, who knew the intricacies better than anyone, gently reassured him.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and ensure there are no damages. It’s a relief that you’ve already moved jobs. Let’s avoid contacting Mido for now.”
“Understood, boss. I’ll trust you, Mr. Lee.”
After calming him down and sending him away, Lee Chang-jin immediately sought detailed information through Mannheim.
Jung Pil-joo, who had been briefed in advance, also appeared worried.
“Mido is coming out quite aggressively. They plan to sue for damages due to the alleged leak of core manufacturing design technology. That’s why Woo seems so scared. He probably came straight to you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was really scared. Don’t worry. Nothing serious will happen. Since I asked for this in the first place, I’ll take responsibility and handle it.”
“Okay, if you need anything related to the case, contact me immediately. I’ll help as much as I can.”
When it comes to lawsuits, the average businessman typically thinks about settlements first.
But Lee Chang-jin was someone well-versed in such matters.
Knowing that Mido had targeted him, he wouldn’t back down easily…
Before the situation escalated, it was only natural to prepare in advance.
Understanding the situation, Lee Chang-jin immediately sought out a top-notch lawyer from his alma mater.
After careful consideration, he went to a mid-sized law firm named Taehun, located in front of Dobong District Civil Court.
Although not very large, it was a boutique law firm specializing in real estate and financial litigation, and had been growing recently. Attorney Seo Tae-soo, a classmate from Korea University and an 8-year veteran, was a partner there. As soon as Lee Chang-jin entered the main entrance, a neatly dressed female secretary greeted him warmly.
“This is Taehun Law Firm. How may I help you?”
“I’m here to see Attorney Seo. Is he available?”
“Ah, you have an appointment, right? I’ll guide you in.”
Soon after, the secretary led him to the reception room.
While waiting, a short man with thick glasses appeared.
He had a rather nerdy face.
Upon recognizing Lee Chang-jin, he greeted him with a delighted expression.
“Chang-jin!”
“Tae-soo? You’ve grown a lot.”
“Grow? Who are you kidding?”
“Wow, nice office… You must be making some money, huh?”
Seo Tae-soo chuckled and offered the tea he had brewed himself.
“How could I compare to you? I hear you’re doing well these days. The rumors among our peers are rampant.”
“Stop joking. You seem to be doing well. You even moved to such a big office.”
“Heh, it’s enough to make a living. After about three years since leaving the court, I got used to this job. I’ve even started to get regular clients. But what’s up? Why are you looking for me?”
“Well, I have an annoying issue this time.”
Lee Chang-jin placed the documents he had brought on the table.
After carefully examining the documents, Seo Tae-soo adjusted his glasses and replied.
“Hmm, you’re in a tough spot. Design blueprints, huh? So, the party that’s making a fuss holds the technology patent license? You haven’t received the lawsuit yet, right?”
“Yeah, not yet. What do you think will happen if they file a lawsuit?”
“Well, the issue will be the interpretation. The court generally views blueprints as basic design documents, not core business elements, so the scope of patent application is quite narrow. The principle is to judge from the perspective of a person skilled in the field based on the technology level at the time of the license or application. The specifics recognized in the patent claim need to be compared, but this part is legally ambiguous.”
“So, in simple terms, it’s subjective and can go either way?”
“Pretty much. But don’t worry. Honestly, if patents were strictly applied in Korea, which company would survive? Strictly speaking, Mido should be paying royalties to the original technology licensor. The court also discourages unnecessary disputes, so you’ll have a significant advantage if it goes to trial. Moreover, Deputy Manager Woo just drew a single blueprint while drunk, right? They didn’t use it as is, and there was no monetary exchange, so it’s hard to see it as a bribe or illicit transaction by social norms. Even foreign precedents are quite lenient on such matters.”
At that time, Korean corporate litigation often referred to precedents from advanced countries like the U.S. or Japan due to a lack of sufficient local cases.
Hearing the expert’s advice, Lee Chang-jin felt somewhat reassured, but things rarely go exactly as planned. Feeling uneasy, he asked Seo Tae-soo for a favor.
“That’s a relief. But someone got into trouble because of me, so it bothers me. Could you personally handle their lawsuit? I wouldn’t feel secure if it wasn’t you.”
“Alright. I’ll handle this case personally. I’m doing this because we’re friends, you know? I’m quite busy, actually.”
“Got it. I won’t forget this favor. Please take care of it.”
While commissioning the case, Lee Chang-jin also signed a formal advisory contract with the law firm to prepare for legal disputes.
Additionally, he ensured that Woo Seong-chan, the witness and involved party, kept his mouth shut. If Woo Seong-chan blabbered in court or to the prosecution, the situation could become severely tangled.
However, that was just the beginning.
Before the lawsuit, an unexpected visitor came to the business site.
“We’re here for a labor management inspection. Are you Mr. Lee Chang-jin?”
“Yes… that’s me.”
Men wearing sunglasses flashed their government IDs.
“We’re from the Ministry of Labor’s joint inspection team. We’ve received a complaint about industrial accidents and wage arrears. Please cooperate.”
“A complaint? Let me see.”
Upon examining the complaint, Lee Chang-jin was dumbfounded. The names listed were of day laborers who had quit on the first day.
After understanding the situation, Lee Chang-jin immediately protested.
“Wage arrears? That’s nonsense. These people left the company months ago. If anything, I should be claiming damages. They didn’t even work; what could they possibly be owed?”
“Then why was a complaint filed? There must be something fishy.”
“I even have their resignation letters. Here, take a look.”
Though Lee Chang-jin handed over the documents he had kept, the inspector still looked skeptical.
“They claim they never resigned. They testified that you unilaterally forced them out.”
“Are you suggesting that I forced them to quit, in a newly established company? These people were introduced by a staffing agency. They didn’t show up from day one, leaving me in a lurch. Please make some sense.”
Unable to bear the inspector’s pressure, Koo Chang-dong also stepped in.
“Inspector, I’m a witness too. I’ve been with the company since its inception. Everything the boss says is accurate.”
“Sorry, but your testimony can’t be trusted. Who knows if you two conspired beforehand?”
Koo Chang-dong raised an eyebrow at that.
“Are you saying we’re lying together?”
“Who knows? Step aside. We have a duty to verify the complaint.”
The inspectors swarmed the site, checking various aspects.
From safety management to accident prevention.
The inspector, who was meticulously searching the workshop, even questioned the source of materials used for crane construction.
“Mr. Lee Chang-jin, we have a report from Mido Machinery claiming you stole crane bridge materials stored at your site. Is this true?”
“That’s utterly ridiculous. Moving construction materials once they’re stored at a site incurs additional costs of tens of thousands of won per move. How could a small business like ours afford such petty theft?”
Despite Lee Chang-jin’s legitimate protest, the inspectors didn’t back down easily.
“Then where did you get those materials? Reveal the source.”
“That’s confidential. No company would disclose their core material suppliers so foolishly.”
It would be easy to end this by saying he got the materials from Director Seo. But if Lee Chang-jin revealed this, Director Seo might get into trouble for not returning the remaining government materials, which could lead to embezzlement charges.
If that happened, it wouldn’t just end with Director Seo’s problem.
Not only would Lee Chang-jin be held responsible for knowing and allowing this, but he would also lose trust in the industry if it became known that he exposed the supplier’s fault.
As Lee Chang-jin kept silent, the inspectors’ faces turned grim.
“Mr. Lee Chang-jin, if you continue to be uncooperative, we’ll have no choice but to suspect theft. Please disclose the information before we file a formal investigation request with the police.”
As the inspector became more aggressive, Lee Chang-jin got angry.
This was clearly an attempt to mess with him.
His tone turned firm.
“Do you have any evidence? If you want to investigate, formally request a warrant. But if it’s proven that there’s no issue, we’ll file a formal damages claim. I don’t know what you’ve heard from Mido, but this kind of pressure inspection is clearly obstructing business. Furthermore, why is the Ministry of Labor inspecting materials? This is a clear overreach.”
As Lee Chang-jin stood firm, the inspector reluctantly backed down.
Despite thoroughly searching the company, they couldn’t find any evidence of illegal activity.
However, before leaving, the inspectors issued a stern warning.
“Mr. Lee Chang-jin, we’ll let this go for now, but remember this isn’t the end.”
“If you’re done talking, please leave. I won’t be seeing you off.”
After the inspectors left, Koo Chang-dong grumbled.
“What a bunch of persistent bastards… Should we sprinkle some salt?”
“This is troublesome. What if they come back? This is really inconvenient.”
Even employees like Seo Yo-han expressed their concerns.
Though Lee Chang-jin was equally annoyed, he tried to calm himself.
“Alright, let’s get back to work. We need to stay on schedule.”
As they hurried to resume the halted work, they heard the sound of a vehicle arriving outside.
“What’s going on now?”
“Boss, stay here. I’ll go check who it is.”
With nerves on edge, Koo Chang-dong went outside first.
After a while, Yeo Jin-joo, who had gone out to the parking lot with him, returned to report.
“Boss, you have a visitor.”
“Who is it? Someone from a client?”
“No, they said they’re someone you owe a favor to. They insist on seeing you. What should I do?”
“Really? Alright, let them in.”
With Lee Chang-jin’s permission, a man carrying a fruit basket entered the office.
- To be continued in Episode 21 -
