Having seized on the key points, Zhang Yang, driven by curiosity, sped up his collection of various information and intelligence.

By calling agents in different regions and conducting a series of investigations through customer groups, black pit fishing buddy groups, forums, and other channels, Zhang Yang quickly discovered that there was more to the problem than met the eye.

The yellow storm bait sold by his company was very effective among the black pit fishing enthusiasts in the north, performing exceedingly well in actual use.

As for the problematic yellow storm, it wasn't their product at all but a counterfeit, shoddily made fake with similar packaging.

Zhang Yang swiftly contacted a hardcore fishing friend from his group who knew where to buy the fake yellow storm bait and had him rapidly ship the bait to the company via express delivery.

The counterfeit goods were received in a neighboring city within a day.

Zhang Yang couldn't wait to open the package and thoroughly inspect it, then personally used the fake bait to conduct a few simple tests, fully uncovering the cause and effect of the situation.

Because the fake bait's ingredients were improperly proportioned and the puffing process was insufficient, it contained a large amount of industrial expansion powder to achieve a similar feel. When the dosage exceeded a reasonable range, fish couldn't metabolize properly after eating it, leading to a series of chain reactions like mass deaths among farmed fish.

Half an hour later, Zhang Yang took the fake goods straight to the company's premises, went up to the third floor, and pushed open Old Zhao's office door.

"Old Zhao, I've figured out the real reason why black pits banned the yellow storm bait! Someone is taking advantage of the chaos, using shoddy products to stir up trouble. Here's a sample I got from a fan in the group!"

Old Zhao had also gotten a bit of information from agents, but he was nowhere near as quick as Zhang Yang in his investigation. Seeing the appearance of the counterfeit packaging and the materials inside, Old Zhao was infuriated.

"Damn it! Who would dare to mess with us like this? Damn it, don't worry about this; I'm calling the police. If I don't put the counterfeiters in jail, I won't be called Zhao!"

Zhang Yang shook his head, "Don't be in such a hurry to call the police! Doing so could alert them and scare them off. I think if we want to resolve this, we must do it thoroughly all at once!

Right now, our primary evidence is gathering enough information and solidifying the case so the opposition can't recover!"

"Alright! You're right, let's follow your approach! I'll first find a professional legal team to gather and fix various kinds of evidence! Damn it... I've let my emotions get the better of me..." Old Zhao's tone softened, regaining his composure.

In the next two days, Old Zhao consulted a professional legal team through a friend and began secretly working on the matter.

Fortunately, Old Zhao took Zhang Yang's advice and acted cautiously. After communicating with the professional legal team, they examined both Li Kui and Li Gui's products from a professional perspective. The results of the comprehensive review, however, weren't very optimistic.

According to the professional lawyer, when viewed objectively and fairly, Zhang Yang's counterfeit and infringement case was hard to establish.

Firstly, although both are called yellow storm bait, the opponent uses different characters with the same pronunciation, making it difficult to prove infringement, and the verdict would be challenging.

Secondly, while the Zhang Yang Company has registered a regular trademark for its yellow storm bait, it hadn't completed the application for the relevant packaging design patent. Though the packaging looks similar, a detailed analysis reveals many differences in the details.

The counterfeiter clearly is an experienced hand, mitigating most of his legal risks through relatively sound operations.

Even if the infringement were proven, tying it to the crime of manufacturing counterfeit and inferior products would be tough. The most result would be that the products don't meet national fish bait production standards.

Infringing, faking, and selling counterfeit products while seriously impacting the plaintiff company's brand reputation is a matter between the responsible entities of two companies, suitable for litigation and seeking civil compensation.

However, the case of inferior quality "promoted products" is handled by governmental departments such as the industrial and commercial bureau. Zhang Yang and his team, as private citizens, can only report and expose illegal activities. How they are processed and penalized is not much within their control.

"Lawyer Lin, is there really no way to legally and reasonably bring those bastards down? 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Even if we have to spend some money, so be it. Damn it, I'm so angry that I could eat his heart raw!"

After hearing the professional lawyer's analysis, Old Zhao spoke through gritted teeth.

Lawyer Lin paused for a moment, then continued, "It's tough. My judgment is that at most, the commercial authorities will fine them and shut down the related production sites. Pushing for criminal charges requires significant consequences!

With the current evidence, our infringement claims will face considerable challenges in court!!

I've already found out the responsible party behind this. The company's brand is registered in Hebei, and the legal representative is named Wang Defa!"

"What? Wang Defa?"

Hearing the name mentioned from Lawyer Lin, Zhang Yang was immediately taken aback. After all this trouble, it turned out this bastard was behind it all.