Chapter 65: A Mad Idea (Part Three)

The grass was lush and green. Zhang Chu took a picture of the beautiful scenery with his phone, but the bleating of several sheep nearby rather spoiled the view.

These days, after writing several thousand words of "Psychological Crime" each day, Zhang Chu would be mercilessly driven out of the house by his grandmother, who insisted he needed to get some rest, lest his mind become twisted. In truth, Zhang Chu suspected that old Mrs. Lin just wanted him to help herd the sheep, and this was her perfectly legitimate excuse.

Now, "Psychological Crime" had been serialized on Weibo for three days. From just a few hundred paying readers on the first chapter, it had grown to over fourteen hundred—clear progress. It proved that this renowned detective novel, which had made quite a name for itself on Earth, was equally effective in this world. Truly outstanding works could transcend the barriers of time and space.

Still, Zhang Chu felt somewhat disappointed; there really were far too few readers of detective fiction. So far, his accumulated royalties on Weibo amounted to less than two thousand yuan, a far cry from those writers in the news whose books sold hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies.

First, of course, his own fame was modest—very few people had even heard his name, much less felt inclined to pay for his work. Second, the reputation of "Psychological Crime" had yet to ferment; only those who already followed Zhang Chu even knew of the novel’s existence, as it hadn’t been serialized in any traditional magazines or on established novel websites.

Bored, Zhang Chu plucked a blade of grass and held it between his lips, watching the sheep not far away as his thoughts drifted off.

...

"Shocking news! The top scorer in the national college entrance exam has been called out on Twitter by the Conan Doyle Foundation—all because of a $5,000 copyright fee!"

"Unbelievable! 99.99% of people didn’t know that writing fan fiction could get you sued!"

"People all around the world are sharing it like crazy—Zhang Chu’s work 'Detective Sherlock' is suspected of copyright infringement!"

"[A must-read news story] The top scorer in Jiangdong Province, Zhang Chu’s work 'Detective Sherlock,' is set to be published by South Sea Publishing, but today, foreign media broke the news that the book has not received official authorization and is being published illegally."

"Incredible! The dream of publishing 'Detective Sherlock' may be in jeopardy—The Conan Doyle Foundation strongly condemns Zhang Chu and South Sea Publishing and says they will take legal action."

One news item after another appeared in the Weibo reports of major media outlets. As the saying goes, good news rarely leaves home, but bad news travels a thousand miles. When it came to reporting such stories, the media were absolute professionals.

...

"Zhang, what are you up to?"

A voice message came from Wei Wenlin, the chubby friend, sounding a little anxious. Zhang Chu sent him the photo he’d just taken and replied, "What else? I’ve been kicked out to herd sheep."

Wei Wenlin quickly said, "You’ve got the time to herd sheep? Go online and see for yourself!"

"What happened this time?"

"Sigh, it’s a complete mess. You’ll see when you look. Talk to your editor, quick! I’m still waiting to buy a copy for my collection!"

Zhang Chu was bewildered—his life had been extremely quiet and uneventful lately: herding sheep, writing "Psychological Crime," and staying out of trouble. How had something major happened again?

As soon as he checked Weibo, he realized calamity had indeed struck out of nowhere!

"Heh, this foundation is really something. The complete works of Sherlock Holmes can be published by any publisher now—so why do I need their authorization to write Sherlock Holmes fan fiction?"

The Conan Doyle Estate had posted a stern message on Twitter, harshly condemning "Detective Sherlock," as if passing judgment already.

Zhang Chu casually clicked on a Weibo comment and found an entire army of crusaders fighting it out, making him frown.

"My God, this is outrageous—boycott this trash novel!"

"These days, there are still people who don’t follow copyright law? Brave, that’s for sure."

"Shameful—do they think foreign works are free of copyright?"

"Embarrassing us abroad, tarnishing our country’s image."

"What’s going on? Hasn’t the national copyright office noticed?"

"I won’t be reading this book, that’s for sure."

"Riding on Sherlock Holmes’ coattails—how shameless!"

"Wasn’t 'Detective Sherlock' entered in Warner Bros.’ Sherlock Holmes fan fiction contest? Does that mean the entire contest was infringing copyright?"

...

"Mr. Gu, what on earth is going on?" Zhang Chu dialed the number of Gu Xinxue, his editor at South Sea Publishing. "Didn’t we agree that Conan Doyle’s works can be freely created from now on?"

Gu Xinxue was feeling the pressure too. He explained, "This was actually a lapse on our part. We did receive an email from the foundation, but for various reasons we missed the chance to communicate. But don’t worry—the book can still be published. After all, our copyright law is different from America’s. We can’t be held to American standards."

"But it’s caused quite a bit of negative publicity. I think it might affect sales and reputation," Zhang Chu said, feeling deeply wronged. He had chosen such a classic British series for his debut adaptation, only to run into what could be a disastrous setback.

He clenched his fists. "Even under American law, I don’t think I’d have to face legal issues for writing Sherlock Holmes fan fiction now. Those works entered the public domain years ago—they’re free to use. The foundation has no right to charge fees anymore, yet they still threaten legal action."

A wild idea suddenly flashed through Zhang Chu’s mind.

What if he turned things around and sued the Conan Doyle Foundation for damaging his reputation—liberating the image of Sherlock Holmes? Wouldn’t that bring him even more prestige?

From what Zhang Chu had learned, he actually stood a good chance of winning. Foundations like this, obsessed with profit, had already done serious harm to the spread and development of Sherlock Holmes culture.

The copyright had clearly expired, yet they still tried to keep a tight grip, demanding exorbitant fees from writers, film studios, and related businesses.

The problem, however, was that a cross-border lawsuit would require extraordinary resources. If Zhang Chu wanted to win, he’d have to be prepared financially.

But right now, what Zhang Chu lacked most was money. He was still counting on the publication of "Detective Sherlock" to bring him more royalties.

If he could actually defeat the foundation in court, prestige would never be an issue again—every media outlet in the world would be watching.

No one could have predicted that Zhang Chu would have such a wild idea. Most people probably saw him as just an ordinary student, a member of a vulnerable group, a lawbreaker who’d violated copyright.

But that streak of madness in his bones was awakening. Zhang Chu decided he should start researching the relevant American laws, and look for a reliable lawyer!

To fight a cross-border lawsuit, one lawyer wouldn’t be enough—he’d need an entire legal team. This was the sort of money-burning game reserved for the rich.

"I’d better hurry up and earn some money, or I won’t even be able to afford the lawsuit."