human
I would like some light to see you by, Mr. Sollenar.
gpt
I only wanted to see you first, said Sollenar;
human
I thought perhaps we'd met before.
gpt
No, Ermine said, walking across the office.
human
It's not likely you've ever seen me. He took a card case out of his pocket and showed Sollenar proper identification.
gpt
I'm not a very forward person.
human
Please sit down, Sollenar said.
gpt
What may I do for you?
human
At the moment, Mr. Sollenar, I'm doing something for you.
gpt
Are you? Are you, now? He frowned at Ermine.
human
When I became a party to the By-Laws passed at the '98 Dinner, I thought a Special Public Relations Office would make a valuable asset to the organization. Consequently, I voted for it, and for the powers it was given. But I never expected to have any personal dealings with it. I barely remembered you people had carte blanche with any IAB member.
gpt
Well, of course, it's been a while since '98, Ermine said.
human
I imagine some legends have grown up around us. Industry gossip--that sort of thing.
gpt
Yes.
human
But we don't restrict ourselves to an enforcement function, Mr. Sollenar. You haven't broken any By-Laws, to our knowledge.
gpt
Or mine. But nobody feels one hundred per cent secure. Not under these circumstances. Nor did Sollenar yet relax his face into its magnificent smile.
human
I'm sure you've found that out.
gpt
I have a somewhat less ambitious older brother who's with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When I embarked on my own career, he told me I could expect everyone in the world to react like a criminal, yes, Ermine said, paying no attention to Sollenar's involuntary blink.
human
It's one of the complicating factors in a profession like my brother's, or mine. But I'm here to advise you, Mr. Sollenar. Only that.
gpt
In what matter, Mr. Ermine?
human
Well, your corporation recently came into control of the patents for a new video system. I understand that this in effect makes your corporation the licensor for an extremely valuable sales and entertainment medium. Fantastically valuable.
gpt
EmpaVid, Sollenar agreed.
human
Various subliminal stimuli are broadcast with and keyed to the overt subject matter. The home receiving unit contains feedback sensors which determine the viewer's reaction to these stimuli, and intensify some while playing down others in order to create complete emotional rapport between the viewer and the subject matter. EmpaVid, in other words, is a system for orchestrating the viewer's emotions. The home unit is self-contained, semi-portable and not significantly bulkier than the standard TV receiver. EmpaVid is compatible with standard TV receivers--except, of course, that the subject matter seems thin and vaguely unsatisfactory on a standard receiver. So the consumer shortly purchases an EV unit.
gpt
At a very reasonable price. Quite so, Mr. Sollenar. But you had several difficulties in finding potential licensees for this system, among the networks.
human
First, there was the matter of acquiring the patents from the original inventor, who was also approached by Cortwright Burr.
gpt
Yes, he was,
human
Competition between Mr. Burr and yourself is long-standing and intense.
gpt
Quite intense,
human
Well, I have no wish to enlarge on that point, Mr. Burr being an IAB member in standing as good as yours, Mr. Sollenar. There was, in any case, a further difficulty in licensing EV, due to the very heavy cost involved in equipping broadcasting stations and network relay equipment for this sort of transmission.
gpt
Yes, there was.
human
Ultimately, however, you succeeded. You pointed out, quite rightly, that if just one station made the change, and if just a few EV receivers were put into public places within the area served by that station, normal TV outlets could not possibly compete for advertising revenue.
gpt
Yes.
human
And so your last difficulties were resolved a few days ago, when your EmpaVid Unlimited--pardon me; when EmpaVid, a subsidiary of the Sollenar Corporation--became a major stockholder in the Transworld TV Network.
gpt
I don't understand, Mr. Ermine, Sollenar said.
human
Why are you recounting this? Are you trying to demonstrate the power of your knowledge? All these transactions are already matters of record in the IAB confidential files, in accordance with the By-Laws.
gpt
These transactions are on file with the IAB because they involve a great number of IAB members, and an increasingly large amount of capital. Also, Transworld's exclusivity, under the IAB By-Laws, will hold good only until thirty-three per cent market saturation has been reached. If EV is as good as it looks, that will be quite soon. After that, under the By-Laws, Transworld will be restrained from making effective defenses against patent infringement by competitors. Then all of the IAB's membership and much of their capital will be involved with EV. Much of that capital is already in anticipatory motion. So a highly complex structure now ultimately depends on the integrity of the Sollenar Corporation. If Sollenar stock falls in value, not just you but many IAB members will be greatly embarrassed. Which is another way of saying EV must succeed.
human
I know all that! What of it? There's no risk. I've had every related patent on Earth checked. There will be no catastrophic obsolescence of the EV system.
gpt
There are engineers on Mars. Martian engineers. They're a dying race, but no one knows what they can still do.
human
Late this evening, my office learned that Cortwright Burr has been in close consultation with the Martians for several weeks. They have made some sort of machine for him. He was on the flight that landed at the Facility a few moments ago.