© Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, May 2000. Reproduction strictly prohibited and will be prosecuted without warning.

Published in The Telegraph, Calcutta, India on Wednesday, 03 May 2000, on the Edit Page.

Go to http://www.telegraphindia.com  Click on Archives and go to issue dated 03-05-00. Click on Editorial. Then Click on In The Company of Pirates

In The Company of Pirates

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

First Tagline: Copyright Infringement is almost a matter of guilt by association

Second Tagline: A company may be liable for copyright infringement by its employees even if they have been explicitly informed not to pirate software

India’s software industry lost Rs 9,000 million last year to piracy. For the last decade the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) has been carrying out an educational campaign impressing upon users that they should purchase legal software, emphasizing the risks associated with pirated software such as viruses, bugs, and lack of documentation, technical support and upgrades.

While it has conducted a few raids on pirates, NASSCOM’s focus until now has been on persuading organizations to trade in their pirated software for legal versions, rather than on prosecuting them. But NASSCOM has now stepped up its campaign by installing a nationwide toll-free hotline at 1600-334455 (and 011-301-5419 in Delhi) where reports of suspected piracy can be lodged anonymously.

Since most calls to such hotlines are from disgruntled employees, directors and officers of many of India’s best-known organizations now face the prospect of being charged with non-bailable criminal offences under sections 51, 63-B and 69 of the Indian Copyright Act which carry a minimum jail term of six months extending to three years.

To their horror company officials may find out that they are personally liable for jail terms of at least six months for any illegal software found on their company’s computers or on its premises, even if the piracy was done by a junior employee or an independent contractor without their permission, let alone their knowledge. Even leaving aside willful piracy by the company to save on the high cost of software, many employees genuinely believe that because their employer bought one copy of a software package, they can make multiple copies of it. Several employees make extra copies of frequently used software so they can work at home or on a laptop when they travel.

While there are no decided Indian cases to date, Indian courts would rely on precedents from other countries having similar copyright laws, especially Britain.

Liability of employers for copyright infringement by their employees has long been established in English common law. In the landmark 1926 case Falcon vs. Famous Players Film Company, Justices Bankes and Atkin held: "A person is liable for any infringement of copyright which his servants or agents may commit in the course of their duty and within their authority, even though he has no knowledge of the act of infringement and despite the fact that he has given a general order to his servants prohibiting the doing of acts which might amount to infringement."

English courts have gone so far as to state that any person in authority who should have known that any type of copyright infringement was possible under a set of certain circumstances and who did not attempt to prevent it could be held liable. In the 1924 case Performing Right Society Ltd vs. Ciryl Theatrical Syndicate Ltd, in the Court of Appeal, Justices Bankes, Scrutton and Atkin held: "If anything in the nature of even indirect evidence of permission or countenance of the performance of the works could be found, it would be sufficient to constitute authorizing of the infringement. The Court may infer an authorization or permission from acts which fall short of being direct and positive. We go so far as to say that indifference exhibited by acts of permission or omission may reach a degree from which authorization or permission may be inferred. Where such a permission or invitation may be implied, it is clearly unnecessary that the authorizing party have knowledge that a particular act comprised in the infringement of copyright will be done."

This principle was stretched even further by Justice Gibbs in the 1975 case Moorhouse vs. University of New South Wales: “A person who had under his control the means by which an infringement of copyright may be committed – such as a photocopying machine – and who made it available to other persons knowing or having reason to suspect that it was likely to be used for the purpose of committing an infringement and omitting to take reasonable steps to limit its use to legitimate purposes, would be held to have authorized any infringement that resulted from its use. Further, that it is sufficient if there was knowledge or reason to suspect that any one of a number of acts, rather than the particular act of infringement actually committed, was likely to be done.”

Although Indian courts give much higher weightage to English precedents compared to American ones, US courts have extended the liability of third parties even further, having developed the theories of vicarious and contributory infringement though these are not mentioned in the US Copyright Act of 1976.

Vicarious infringement was formulated by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1963 in Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. v. H.L. Green Co. It is based on the common law doctrine of respondeat superior and may be imposed on any person “who has the legal right to inspect or supervise the actions of the primary infringer provided he also receives a direct financial or other benefit from the infringement”. It is not necessary that the supervisor have any knowledge of the infringing activity, nor even any reasonable grounds for suspecting that an infringement was occurring. According to Leslie Berkowitz of LawInfo Forum: “An employer will be vicariously liable for an employee's copyright infringement, even if the employer has no knowledge and no intent to infringe and even if the employee has been directly told by the employer not to engage in the activity.”

Contributory infringement was formulated by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1971 in Gershwin Publishing Corp vs. Columbia Artists Management. It may be imposed on anyone “who, with knowledge, induces, causes, or materially contributes to the infringing activity or provides services or equipment to the primary infringer...Actual knowledge by the third party of the infringing act is not required if a reasonable person would have known that the underlying infringing act was possible under the same circumstances.” A contributory infringer is jointly and severally liable along with the direct infringer. In the 1988 case Telenate Systems vs. Caro, a company was found liable for contributory infringement when its customers copied software using equipment provided by it.

There are several measures that Indian organizations should take to reduce their liabilities for copyright infringements by their employees, consultants and contractors:

(a) Adopt an organization-wide anti-piracy policy which specifically states that any employee who infringes copyrights will be dismissed, and will also indemnify the employer for any acts of infringement committed by him.

(b) Incorporate clauses prohibiting use of pirated software in all contracts with computer vendors, contractors, system integrators and consultants, with indemnification for liabilities.

(c) Purchase an adequate number of authorized copies of all software, either under site licenses or concurrent use licenses.

(d) Maintain a record of all software on each computer, register these with the respective software publishers, and conduct regular audits.

(e) Place a notice beside each computer that pirated software should not be used or downloaded from the internet, and that any employee who does so will be dismissed.

(f) Segregate hard drives into application and workspace partitions with write protection. This will prevent the unauthorized installation or downloading of application software. Further, any unauthorized applications must necessarily be loaded into the workspace domain, allowing them to be quickly identified.

While such measures are not a defense against liability, they would probably persuade a copyright holder to agree to an out of court settlement.

However if the matter goes to trial, the employer may be shocked to find that the measures taken above do not constitute a valid defense, at best being a mitigating factor while determining the quantum of punishment. Courts in both Britain and USA have held that clauses in employment or consulting contracts indemnifying the employer have no legal validity and provide no protection to the employer. On the contrary, the St. Louis federal appeals court recently ruled: “Such a ‘hold harmless’ clause does not represent a good faith effort to avoid copyright infringement, but is actually an attempt to circumvent the copyright law…An employer is liable for copyright infringement even if the illegal copying occurred in violation of an expressly documented and circulated company policy.”

According to Leslie Berkowitz of LawInfo Forum: “A person who engages on-site consultants or contractors will be vicariously liable for the latter’s copyright infringement (if performed on-site) even if the contract specifically excludes the client from having any right to supervise or inspect the consultant’s or contractor's actions…It is not a valid defense that it is not technically or physically feasible to supervise every action of every employee, contractor or consultant.”

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

Published in The Telegraph, Calcutta, India on Wednesday, 03 May 2000, on the Edit Page.

Ravi     Visvesvaraya     Prasad 

Master of Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, U.S.A., 1986. 

Master of Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, 1985. 

Certified Lead Assessor Diploma ("with honours"), European Union ESPRIT BOOTSTRAP Institute EEIG, for System and Software Quality Assessments, 1993. 

Master of Science, Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, 1982. 
© Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, May 2000

Published in The Telegraph, Calcutta, India on Wednesday, 03 May 2000, on the Edit Page.

Go to http://www.telegraphindia.com  Click on Archives and go to issue dated 03-05-00. Click on Editorial. Then Click on In The Company of Pirates

Reproduction of any portion of the above article in any manner, including paraphrases, rewording, translations, abridgements, excerpts, etc., in any medium, in any jurisdiction, in any language, for any purpose, without the prior written permission of both Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad and The Telegraph, is strictly prohibited, and will be vigorously prosecuted in criminal and civil courts without any prior warning. We continuously monitor the contents of the Web as well as all downloading and copying operations from our web-site for violations of our copyrights.
 

Ravi  Visvesvaraya  Prasad  &  Associates
Consultants in Telecom, Datacom, Networking, Internet, Electronic Commerce, Software, Information Systems, Multimedia, Computers, Electronics, and Broadcasting Sectors in India
We represent multinational vendors of telecom and datacom equipment and services in India.
We have marketed telecom and datacom equipment and services to Indian basic telecom operators, GSM cellular mobile operators, Internet service providers, VSAT service providers, POCSAG paging operators, software exporters, etc.

We specialize in sales to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Videsh Sanchar Nigam (VSNL), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL), large organizational customers, and private service providers. 

We obtain all regulatory permissions and licenses from central, state and local governments, obtain type approvals and interface approvals from the Telecom Engineering Centre, perform public and media relations, and introduce our clients to influential government officials, politicians, and print and television journalists. 

We perform customer requirements analysis, project feasibility analysis, return-on-investment analysis, risk analysis, financial closure, identification of joint venture partners, due diligence, contract negotiations and documentation.

We have provided such advisory services to equipment suppliers, basic telecom operators, GSM cellular mobile operators, Internet service providers, VSAT service providers, POCSAG paging operators, radio trunking operators, etc.

We market GSM cellular handsets of most major international brands at the best rates in North India.

 

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad & Associates

Consultancy Services Provided and Deliverables

1. Market Demand Surveys

(a) Formulation of marketing strategies.
(b) Identification of major customers.

(c) Assessment of their technical and quality requirements, their quantity and schedule requirements, their budgetary constraints, etc.

(d) Analysis of their Price - Quality - Features - Quantity Trade-offs.

(e) Assistance in financial and technical negotiations and contract documentation.

(f) Market Forecasting by Product and Geographical Segments.

(g) Assessment of suitable distributors.
 

2. Government Permissions and Public Relations

(a) Advice regarding all governmental policies, regulations, and procedures.
(b) Discreet introductions to leading politicians, government officials (Foreign Investment Promotion Board, Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank of India, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Department of Telecommunications, Department of Electronics, Software Technology Parks, Electronic Hardware Technology Parks, Customs, etc.), industrialists, business leaders, and journalists.

(c) Assistance in obtaining all licenses and permissions from central, state, and city governments such as the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, Secretariat for Industrial Approvals, Reserve Bank of India, Software Technology Parks, Electronic Hardware Technology Parks, Telecom Engineering Centre, etc.

(d) Discreet public relations with the electronic and print media, arranging of interviews of our clients with television channels, newspapers, and magazines.

 

3. Negotiations with Indian Parties

(a) Assessment, Specification, Valuation, and Pricing of Product and Process Technologies, Plant Machinery, Capital Goods, and Raw Materials suitable for transfer to Indian joint venture partners, technology licensees, and customers.
(b) Assessment of suitable financial joint venture partners, technology licensees, distributors, marketing agents, sub contractors, suppliers, vendors, etc.

(c) Assistance in technical and financial negotiations and contract documentation with distributors, marketing agents, joint venture partners, technology licensees, suppliers, subcontractors, etc.
 

4. Project Implementation

(a) Detailed Techno-Commercial Feasibility Studies; Return-on Investment, Discounted-Cash-Flow, and Profitability Analysis.(b) Estimation of Schedules, Materials and Resource Requirements.
(c) Assessment of Market, Technical, Financial, and Project related Risks.

(d) What-If Analysis; Trade-Off Analysis.

(e) Project Progress Monitoring and Feedback Control.

(f) Assistance in negotiations and contract documentation with Financial Institutions and Banks for Project Finance, Export Finance, Working Capital, External Commercial Borrowings, etc

 

How to Contact Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad & Associates

E-Mail

r.v.p@pmail.net

rvp@mailcity.com

rvp@excite.com

rvp@hotbot.com

r-v-p@yifan.net

Faxes

+[91] (11) 558-6868, +[91] (11) 567-6386, 

+[91] (11) 557-1557 

Messaging & Paging 

+[91] (11) 9622-055-555, 

+[91] (11) 9622-173-660 

(24 hours x 365 days)

Phones 

+[91] (11) 558-9682, +[91] (11) 558-5439

Cellular Mobile Phone of Ravi V. Prasad 

+[91] 98-101-30877

Mail

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad & Associates

19, Maitri Apts., CIS Off Soc

A - 3, Paschim Vihar

New Delhi, 110 063

India



Telecommunications and Datacommunications

Assignments Performed

For a North American corporation, assessed the Indian market for its splitterless full-rate Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technologies. Advised it on the approvals required by the Telecom Engineering Center as well as on establishing research-and-development linkages with Indian corporations and academic institutions (1999-2000).

For a European corporation, assessed the Indian market for its High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) technologies. Advised it on the approvals required by the Telecom Engineering Center as well as on establishing research-and-development linkages with Indian corporations and academic institutions (1999-2000).

For a European corporation, assessed the Indian market for its Voice-over-Frame Relay technologies, especially regarding approvals required by the Telecom Engineering Centre. Advised it on establishing research-and-development linkages with Indian corporations and academic institutions (1999-2000).

For a European corporation, assessed the Indian market for its SDH add-drop multiplexers, especially regarding approvals required by the Telecom Engineering Centre (1999-2000).

For a European corporation, assessed the Indian market for its Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technologies, with emphasis on regulatory aspects. Advised it on establishing research-and-development linkages with Indian corporations and academic institutions (1999-2000).

For a European corporation, assessed the Indian market for its General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technologies, with emphasis on regulatory aspects. Advised it on establishing research-and-development linkages with Indian corporations and academic institutions (1999-2000).

For a European corporation, assessed the Indian market for its Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technologies, with emphasis on regulatory aspects. Advised it on establishing research-and-development linkages with Indian corporations and academic institutions (1999-2000).

Advised a European manufacturer of Direct Sequence CDMA Point-to-Multipoint fixed wireless access systems on Indian regulations (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of Fiber Drivers, Wireless Fiber Drivers, and Wireless Traffic Drivers on Indian regulations (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of 38 GHz broadband fixed wireless access systems on Indian regulations (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of 10 base T Ethernet interface products and DB25 serial interface products on specifications and regulations of the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of fiber-optic passive components (connectors, adapters, cable assemblies, couplers, attenuators) on specifications and regulations of the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of cache server management and load balancing devices on specifications and regulations of the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of subscriber management solutions on specifications and regulations of the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of add-drop multiplexers, digital loop carriers, access concentrators, and digital cross-connects on specifications and regulations of the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (1999).

Advised a US manufacturer of V5.1 and V5.2 simulators and load and traffic generators on specifications and regulations of the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (1999).

Advised a European manufacturer of Real-Time Network and Traffic Management Systems and Switch Surveillance Systems on sales to the Department of Telecommunications (1999).

Advised a European manufacturer of ATM analyzers on sales to the Department of Telecommunications (1999).

For a European telecom consulting corporation, wrote a report on the proposal of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to introduce the Calling Party Pays (CPP) regime in India, as well as on CPP-related litigation in the High Court of Delhi (1999-2000).

For a European telecom consulting corporation, wrote a report on the proposal of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to permit competition in domestic long distance telephony in India (1999-2000).

For a European telecom consulting corporation, wrote a report on the proposal of the Prime Minister’s Group on Telecom to permit Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in India (1999-2000).

Advised seven Indian corporations regarding becoming Internet Service Providers. Advised them on making the applications for an ISP license and for establishing gateways (1999-2000).

For a North American corporation, assessed the Indian market for its Unified Messaging Solutions (1998).

For a North American corporation, assessed the Indian market for its Structured Cabling products and services. Identified Indian System Integrators and Distributors (1997).

For a European corporation, assessed the Indian market for its proprietary Deep Fiber Broadband Access technologies. Advised it on establishing research-and-development linkages with Indian corporations and academic institutions (1999).

Advised an Indian corporation on establishing a strategic alliance with a European corporation to develop TDM over IP products that convert E1 / T1 circuits into IP packets and reconvert them at the destination (2000).

Advised an Indian corporation on establishing a strategic alliance with a North American corporation to develop E1/T1 multiplexers for IP and Ethernet networks that converted E1 or T1 circuits to IP packets for transmission over gigabit Ethernet-based IP backbones (2000).

Advised an Indian corporation on establishing a strategic alliance with a North American corporation to develop and test wireless packet switching technologies permitting large bandwidth-on-demand for bursty transmissions (1999-2000).

Advised an Indian corporation on establishing a strategic alliance with a North American corporation to develop and test 26 GHz point-to-multipoint (PMP) broadband links (1999-2000).

Advised an Indian corporation on establishing a strategic alliance with a North American corporation to develop and test dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) products (1999).

Advised an Indian corporation on establishing a strategic alliance with a North American corporation to develop and test optical cross-connects for end-to-end bandwidth management (1999).

Advised an Indian corporation on establishing a strategic alliance with a North American corporation to develop and test Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) for Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) stacks (1999-2000).

Advised three conglomerates bidding for the basic telecommunications services tender. Reviewed the financial bids prepared by the foreign partners in these conglomerates and suggested modifications of the bid amounts (May 1994 - Nov. 1995, performed as a subcontract).

Advised four conglomerates bidding for the GSM cellular telecom services tender. Reviewed the financial bids prepared by the foreign partners in these conglomerates and suggested modifications of the bid amounts (May 1994 - Nov. 1995, performed as a subcontract).

For a European financial institution, interviewed eight bidders for the GSM cellular services tender regarding their perceptions of the comparative featurewise technical advantages and disadvantages of Siemens, Nokia, Ericsson, Alcatel, and Motorola GSM Cellular Infrastructure Equipment (Nov. 1995 - Sept. 1996, performed as a subcontract).

For a European financial institution, interviewed eight bidders for the GSM cellular services tender regarding their perceptions of the comparative technical features and price advantages and disadvantages of Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens, Panasonic, and Sony GSM cellular handsets (Nov. 1995 - Nov. 1996, performed as a subcontract).

Assessed several potential distributors and dealers for an independent European distributor of GSM cellular phones and other customer premises telecom equipment (Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for 6 / 15 and 16 / 90 Analogue Line Concentrators (Oct. 1995).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for 15 / 120 and 30 / 240 Digital Line Concentrators (Nov. 1995).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for 18 GHz 8 Mbps Digital Microwave Terminals (Nov. 1995).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for 6 GHz Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) Microwave Systems, and for STM-1 / STM-4 / STM-16 SDH Analyzers (Dec. 1995).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for 6 GHz 140 Mbps (extended C band) Microwave Terminals (Jan. 1995).

Reviewed the business plans of a European corporation which was seeking an Indian partner for bidding for the Department of Telecom's tender for ISDN feature phones. Provided our assessments of the potential Indian partners that it had shortlisted (Jan. 1995).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for 6 GHz, 7 GHz, and 11 GHz Waveguides, and associated Pressure Windows (Feb. 1995).

Advised two Indian business houses for filling the tender documents for seventeen cities for the Department of Telecom's tender for providing Mobile Radio Trunked Services (Jan. 1995).

Advised an Indian business house for filling the tender documents for the Department of Telecom's tender for 6-fibre, 12-fibre, and 24- fibre optical cables. Assessed the technologies offered by three foreign parties (Dec. 1994).

Advised an Indian business house for filling the tender documents for the Department of Telecom's tender for Extended C-band HUB Stations and Satellite Network Operational Control Centres (June 1994).

Advised an Indian business house for filling the tender documents for Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd.'s (MTNL) tender for 24-fibre optical cables (June 1994).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for STM-1 / STM-4 / STM-16 Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) Optical Line Terminating Equipment (OLTE) (July 1995).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for 13 GHz 34 Mbps Digital (1+1, 2+1, 3+1 configurations) Microwave Terminals (March 1995).

Advised an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer for preparing its technical and financial bids for the Department of Telecom's tender for Multi Channel Per Carrier Very Small Aperture Terminals (March 1994).

Conducted a market survey of radio paging operators to determine the demand for POCSAG pagers for a major Indian business group (Jan. 1994 - Dec. 1995).

Obtained export orders worth US$ 435,800 to Tunisia, Senegal, Benin, Guatemala, and Ecuador for an Indian manufacturer of small EPABXs (1993).

Assessed nationwide marketing and distribution channels for a Singapore reseller of high-end facsimile machines (1992-1993).

Assessed the Indian market for wireless EPABX's and Computer-Telephone Integration for a European manufacturer (1992-1993).

For a European manufacturer, assessed the Indian market for Digital European Cordless Technology (DECT), in anticipation of the Department of Telecommunications' tender for Wireless-in-Local-Loop (WiLL) (March - Nov. 1996).

For a North American manufacturer, assessed the Indian market for Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in anticipation of the Department of Telecommunications' tender for Wireless-in-Local-Loop (WiLL) (March - Nov. 1996).

Introduced a Japanese multi-company delegation which came to India to promote the Japanese Personal Handyphone Radio Access System (PHS) standard RCR-STD-28 to several Indian telecommunications equipment manufacturers for exploring possible business opportunities (1996).

For a European manufacturer, assessed the Indian market in 2000 AD for European Radio Message System (ERMES) paging, in anticipation of the Department of Telecom granting permission in the future for ERMES paging (1996).

For a North American corporation, assessed the Indian market for Direct Broadcast Satellite / Digital Pay Television Services (Jan. - Nov. 1996).

For an international satellite telephone consortium, estimated the potential number of customers in 2000 - 2002 AD, and assessed the Indian market in 2000 - 2002 AD for dual mode GSM cellular and satellite phones (Jan. - Aug. 1996).

For a North American corporation, assessed the Indian market for spread spectrum wireless digital modems (April - Aug. 1996).

Introduced a US manufacturer of ISDN transmission and recovery management systems to senior officials of the Department of Telecom (1996).

Introduced a European vendor of Customer Relationship Management Systems to senior officials of the Department of Telecom (1998).

Introduced a European vendor of Customer Care and Billing Systems to senior officials of the Department of Telecom (1997).

Introduced a European vendor of scalable Interconnect Accounting Solutions to senior officials of the Department of Telecom. Advised them on adapting Element-based charging, Distance-based charging and Zone-based charging to Indian requirements (1997).

Prepared the Type Approval Application to the Telecom Engineering Centre for a US manufacturer of 2 MBps Echo Cancellers (1995).

Advisors to Vital Communications Ltd. for Enhanced Messaging Solutions and Integration of Message and Speech Technologies on Open Systems Platforms (in collaboration with Pulsepoint and Digital Sound), 1997 onwards.

Advisors to Vital Communications Ltd. for Interactive Voice Response Systems and Computer-Telephony Integration, 1997 onwards.


Computer Software and Information Systems 

Assignments Performed

Assessed the business plans of 29 leading multinationals for establishing software development subsidiaries or joint ventures in India. Prepared their applications to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, Software Technology Parks, Reserve Bank of India, Secretariat for Industrial Assistance, Customs Bonding, etc. Introduced their executives to senior Indian government officials, politicians, and print and television journalists. Got the companies profiled and the executives interviewed in newspapers, magazines and on television. Continued liaison with government departments until all approvals were obtained from central and state government authorities (1987-2000).
Advised a US vendor of statistical software packages on outsourcing four projects on Windows 95, Windows NT, UNIX, IBM OS/2 platforms to South Asian software developers (1995-1997).

Advised a US vendor of mathematical software packages on outsourcing five projects on IBM RS6000, Sun SPARCStation/Sun OS, Solaris, Silicon Graphics, IBM OS/2 platforms to South Asian software developers (1995-1997).

Advised a European vendor of graphics and simulation packages for mechanical engineering, civil engineering, metallurgical and aerospace applications on outsourcing two packages to South Asian software developers : (a) Simulation of Fatigue Crack Growth, and (b) Structural Analysis of Thin Shells, Panels, and Pressure Vessels; both in C source code, on DEC VAX/VMS, DEC Alpha AXP, Digital UNIX, ULTRIX, IBM RS/6000/AIX, HP 9000 Series 700, HP Apollo, Sun SPARCStation/Sun OS, Sun4/Sun OS, Solaris, Silicon Graphics IRIS platforms (1995–1997).

Assessed Indian software subcontractors for a US firm developing C++ and Small Talk V Object Oriented Programming Systems (1995). 

Assessed Indian software companies for a US corporation for maintenance and documentation of telecom network planning software (1994). 

Assessed Indian software development companies for a US firm marketing third party engineering, finite element analysis, structural analysis, graphics, M-CAD/CAM, and GIS software (1989-1993). 

Formulated detailed action plans for a multinational in the fields of software and circuit design for establishing a 100 % Indian subsidiary and obtained all approvals from central and state governments (1989-1990). 

Advised a US computer hardware and software systems integrator in its negotiations with Indian software companies for sourcing third party systems and applications software (1989-1992). 

Assessed Indian software development companies for a European value added re-seller of CIM, MRP-II, and GIS software (1990-1992). 

Assessed Indian software subcontractors for a German firm developing multimedia and animation educational and game software (1994). 

Assessed Indian software subcontractors for a US firm developing World Wide Web Internet multimedia software (1995-1996). 

Assessed Indian software subcontractors for a US firm developing Digital Signal Processing Algorithms and MPEG-2 Software (Jan. 1995 - April 1996). 

Assessed Indian software subcontractors for a US firm developing Network Performance and Internode Call Congestion Profiling Software (Jan. 1995 - April 1996). 

Assessed Indian software subcontractors for a US firm developing 2 B + D OSI Layered and Real-Time Network (3rd) Layer Protocol software (April 1995 - Aug. 1996). 

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty Eight Million for an Indian startup to develop microbrowsers based on Wireless Markup Language (WML) and WMLScript for PDAs (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty Two Million for an Indian software developer specializing in WebLogic and WebSphere (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Forty Million for an Indian software developer specializing in NetDynamics and Cold Fusion (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Forty Three Million for an Indian software developer specializing in Cold Fusion and Silverstream (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Seventeen Million for an Indian CRM vendor specializing in Siebel (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Eleven Million for an Indian CRM vendor specializing in Vantive and Clarify (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Eight Million for an Indian e-commerce developer specializing in BroadVision (1999-2000).

Assessed the business plans of an Indian e-commerce startup specializing in Vignette for obtaining venture capital and private placement of equity and debt (1999-2000).

Assessed the business plans of an Indian e-commerce startup specializing in Ariba for obtaining venture capital and private placement of equity and debt (1999-2000).

Assessed the business plans of an Indian e-commerce startup specializing in Silknet for obtaining private placement of equity and debt (1999-2000).

Assessed the business plans of an Indian e-commerce startup specializing in Tradex for obtaining private placement of equity and debt (1999-2000).

Assessed the business plans of an Indian e-commerce startup specializing in Blue Martini for obtaining private placement of equity and debt (1999-2000).

Assessed the business plans of an Indian e-commerce startup specializing in Bowstreet for obtaining venture capital and private placement of equity and debt (1999-2000).

Assessed the business plans of an Indian e-commerce startup specializing in Net.commerce for obtaining venture capital and private placement of equity and debt (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Sixteen Million for an Indian middleware developer specializing in Tuxedo and CORBA (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Fourteen Million for an Indian software startup specializing in CORBA, Active X, and COM/DCOM (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty Two Million for an Indian software startup specializing in Jbuilder, PowerJ, and Apache (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Fourteen Million for an Indian software startup specializing in Java Beans, RMI, UML, and ASP (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty Seven Million for an Indian startup specializing in Frame Relay and SS7 (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Seventeen Million for an Indian startup specializing in Wireless Access Protocol WAP (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty Two Million for an Indian startup specializing in Blue Tooth (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty One Million for an Indian startup specializing in Verilog (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty Six Million for an Indian startup specializing in Data Link Protocols and Router Development (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty Three Million for an Indian startup to develop WAP-based and HTML-based microbrowsers for handheld thin clients (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Sixteen Million for an Indian startup specializing in Vx Works and PSOS (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Twenty One Million for an Indian startup specializing in ODBC, JDBC and Perl (1999-2000).

Obtained finance of Rupees Seventeen Million for an Indian startup specializing in Viador (1999-2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of Internet Security Systems for development of a multihoming SYN Firewall, SYN packet interceptor, and connection mediator supporting virtual networking, remote accessibility, and programmable transparency. The platforms were Sun SPARCStation/Sun OS, Sun4/Sun OS, Solaris, Silicon Graphics IRIS, HP/HP-UX (1996–1997).

Obtained an export order for an Indian software company with a US provider of Internet Security Systems for development of an enterprise firewall with features such as envoy technology, multilayering, multihoming, multiple levels of encryption, programmable transparency, out-of-band authentication, scalability, enhanced logging, address re-user, and both remote and on-site configuration and administration. The platforms were Sun SPARCStation/Sun OS, Sun4/Sun OS, Solaris, Silicon Graphics IRIS, HP/HP-UX (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of Internet Security Systems and Services for performing feature enhancements, porting, verification, validation, and testing, adaptive maintenance and perfective maintenance, and documentation of a Web-based network management architecture which provided real-time dynamic management information regarding integration, reporting, and security. The platforms were Windows NT, Windows 95, UNIX compatible, Java and HTTP source code, TCP/IP Network support (1996-1997). 

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of Internet Security Systems for development of a permanent connection security firewall, combining an integrated front-end server, a proxy server, and a virus detector, for providing a single, secured route for all data traveling between LANs / WANs and the Internet. The platforms were Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 3.x, Apple Macintosh, IBM OS/2, UNIX System V, SCO UNIX, HP/HP-UX, DEC VAX/VMS, TCP/IP Network support (1996-1997).

Obtained an export order for a leading Indian software developer from a US vendor of Internet Security Systems for development of a hybrid, turn-style firewall system combining packet filtering with proxy services, using user-defined, rule-based authorization programs to accept or deny access. Platforms were Sun SPARCStation/Sun OS, Sun4/Sun OS, Solaris, Silicon Graphics IRIS, HP/HP-UX, DEC Alpha AXP, Digital UNIX compatible. C, C++ source code. Novell Netware, Banyan, Ethernet, Token Ring, TCP/IP network support (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of Network Gateway and Switching software for development of a Branch CommServer combining an IPX/IP router, bridge, SNA gateway, concentrator, frame relay access device, CSU/DSU, hub, and SDLC to LLC2 converter within a single unit. Platforms were MS DOS, AT&T UNIX System V compatible, IPX network support (1996-1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of Network Gateway and Switching software for development of an SDLC converter that converted SDLC traffic to LLC2 and then carried it over a LAN-based internetwork. Platforms were MS DOS, AT&T UNIX System V compatible. Token Ring, Ethernet network support (1996).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of Network Gateway and Switching software for development of a Virtual Central Office (VCO) Integrated Provisioning Platform providing access-on-demand to public network services for enhanced voice, data, and video applications, and featuring SNMP-based network management capabilities and subscriber access to voice services, digital leased and switched data services, ISDN, frame relay, SMDS, and ATM (1996).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of router software for development of a multiprotocol datagram encapsulation and transport component across Frame Relay WANs, providing interfaces for SNMP management. Platforms were Windows 95, Windows 3.x, MS DOS, Apple Macintosh, UNIX compatible. ANSI C source code. Novell Netware network support (1995).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of router software for development of an IPX WAN protocol stack component of software architecture which provided Novell compatible negotiation and configuration of various IPX network and router information, used for estimation of WAN link delays, negotiation of IPX routing, compression protocols and common IPX network numbers, and discovery of adjacent router names and primary network numbers. Platforms were Windows 95, Windows 3.x, MS DOS, Apple Macintosh, UNIX compatible. ANSI C source code (1995).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US provider of router software for development of a sequenced packet exchange protocol stack which provided transport layer services for embedded applications in Novell Netware IPX / SPX environments (1995).

Obtained an export order for an Indian software company from a US provider of CASE Tools for development of a CASE tool for maintenance and reverse engineering of Pascal and Fortran source code, providing complexity analysis, graphical results, acceptance criteria and documentation, test case execution, histograms, test case definition, code restructuring and source code browsing. Platforms were HP 9000 series 700, Sun 4 / Sun OS, Solaris, IBM RS 6000 AIX, DEC Alpha AXP compatible. Pascal and Fortran source code (1993).

Obtained an export order for an Indian software company from a US provider ofsoftware debugging and testing tools for development of a Test Case Generator using AI search engines (1993).

Obtained an export order for an Indian software company from a US provider ofsoftware debugging and testing tools for development of an automatic error detection tool for Win 32 applications running on Win 32 platforms that would automatically find and identify API errors, stack memory overruns, invalid Windows API parameters, invalid Windows API return code, invalid ANSI C parameters, invalid C return codes, memory locking problems, null pointer manipulations, resource and memory leaks, data and heap corruption, and ensure Win 32 compliance. C++ source code (1993). 

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide Ada, Apex, Rose, C++, UML services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a French customer to provide Oracle 7x/8/8i services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide CICS and DB2 services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide Visual Interdev, MTS and MIIS services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Danish customer to provide Oracle Designer and Rational Rose services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a French customer to provide Power Builder 6.0 / 7.0 services on a continuing basis (1998).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide SQL Server 7.0 and Oracle 8.0 services on a continuing basis (1998).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide MVS, JCL, DB2, CICS services on IBM S/390 OS/390 platform on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide OS/390 customization and installation services, TSO/E, REXX, RACF Administration, DB2, DBA services on IBM S/390 platform on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide DB2/400, CL/400, RPG IV, SQL/400, CICS/400 services on IBM AS/400 platform on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide LabView, ObjectTime, and Swing services on a continuing basis (1998).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a German customer to provide SNMP, CMIP, and CMIS services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide FPGA design services on a continuing basis (1996).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide Enterprise Java Beans and JavaServlets services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Spanish customer to provide Netscape Application Server and Netscape Enterprise Server services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide EJB, mySQL, DBI, and Flash services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a German customer to provide Javabeans, JSP, EJB, RMI, IIS, MTS services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide MFG/PRO services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with an Austrian customer to provide SQL Engine and VLDB services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide Swing, EJB, JDBC, RMI, JNDI, JTS, JNI, JMS services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide Net.Com, Java 1.2, VBScript, Visual Interdev, MTS, XML services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide Power Builder and Crystal Reports services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide Natural / Adabas services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide Synon services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide Clear Case, PVCS, BPCS services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a British customer to provide JD Edwards, IEF, ADW services on a continuing basis (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US customer to provide Palm OS, Embedded 68 K, Mcore, and QNX services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Canadian customer to provide MSMQ and MQSeries Middleware services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a Danish customer to provide Tuxedo and CORBA Middleware services on a continuing basis (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US customer to provide OMC, OAMP, SNMP, SS7, C++ services on a continuing basis (1998).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a European telecommunications vendor for development and maintenance, in NODAL C, of payphone access indicators and calling party category information, customized interactive voice responses, and subsequent call handling and routing (2000).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US customer to provide SS7, TCAP/IS-41, TCP/IP, IPC, C++ services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US customer to provide QA Partner and MS Test services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US customer to provide Visual Test and XRunner services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US customer to provide Win Runner and Purify services on a continuing basis (1999).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US customer to provide TCP/IP internals, UNIX Kernel, Device Driver programming services on a continuing basis (1996).

Obtained an export order for an Indian software company from a US customer to provide RP / OSFP / BGP services (1999).

Obtained an export order for an Indian software company from a US customer to provide X-Windows, X/MOTIF, TCL/TK services (1997).

Obtained a strategic alliance for an Indian software company with a US corporation specializing in Wireless Application Protocols (WAP) to develop a lightweight protocol stack to minimize bandwidth requirements and enhance security (1999-2000).

Advised an Indian business group intending to establish a software export unit in its negotiations with potential foreign collaborators and customers (1994). 

In conjunction with our US counterparts, obtained four export orders from USA worth US$ 384,200 for two Indian software companies for maintenance and retrospective documentation of local area networking software. Services provided by our US counterparts and us included feasibility studies; user requirements analysis; estimation of schedules, resources, and costs; contract negotiations; risk assessment; advice on project management and process quality; and obtaining 90 day export financing from Indian banks (1989-1993). 

In conjunction with our US counterparts, obtained two export orders from USA worth US$ 138,700 for an Indian developer of real-time process control software. Services provided by our US counterparts and us included feasibility studies; user requirements analysis; estimation of schedules, resources, and costs; contract negotiations; advice on project management and process quality; and obtaining 90 day export financing from Indian banks (1990-1992). 

Obtained three orders from Defence Research and Development Organizations for an Indian circuit design firm. Services provided by us included user requirements analysis; feasibility evaluation; estimation of schedules, resources, and costs; contract negotiations; and quality assurance (1989-1992). 

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a French vendor of Software and associated Hardware for Real-Time Process Control of Thermal Power Plants (1992-1994, subcontract).

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a US vendor of Software for Modelling, Simulation, and Visualization of the Thermal Cycles of Thermal Power Plants (1992- 1994, subcontract).

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a US vendor of Software for Modelling, Simulation, and Visualization of Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (1992-1995, subcontract).

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a German vendor of Software for Simulation and Real-Time Feedback Control of Electricity Generation, Transmission, and Distribution (1992-1995, subcontract).

Assessed the process maturity of six Indian software development organizations utilizing both the Process Capability Maturity Model of the Software Engineering Institute, Pittsburgh, and the European Community's BOOTSTRAP Institute. Advised them on transitioning to a higher process maturity level. (Performed as subcontracts from Quality Assurance Institute India Ltd., 1992-1994).

Consultants to Quality Assurance Institute India Ltd., 1992 onwards, for strategy and marketing.

 

Electronics and Computer Hardware

Assignments Performed
Estimated the demand in India for hard disk drives, tape drives, motherboards, monitors, and printers, and identified and evaluated potential Indian importers and distributors for a Hong-Kong trading company (1989-1991). 

Reviewed the market entry plans, and identified and assessed potential Indian partners for a US manufacturer of ruggedised industrial sensors, data loggers, and control instrumentation (1992-1993). 

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a large European manufacturer of office automation and customer premises telecom equipment (1991-1993). 

Prepared the applications for two multinationals for establishing export units under the Electronic Hardware Technology Park Scheme (1993-1994). 

Advised an Indian manufacturer of electromagnetic components on expansion, diversification, domestic and export marketing (1989-1996). 

Identified potential Indian customers for a Singapore value-added reseller of i860 RISC workstations (1991-1992). 

Estimated the demand in India for notebook computers and modems for a Taiwanese manufacturer, and identified and evaluated potential Indian importers and distributors (1993-1995). 

Advised a major Indian importer of 486 and Pentium computers regarding establishment of a distributor and dealer network in the Delhi region (1994). 

Assessed the Indian market for a Korean manufacturer of 256 K, 17 ns, 5 volt SRAMs, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1994-1995). 

Assessed the Indian market for a Korean manufacturer of MPEG-2 decoders, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1995-1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of embedded control Digital Signal Processing ICs, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a Japanese manufacturer of 32-bit RISC engines with DSP and power management functions (Jan. 1995 - Aug. 1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a Korean manufacturer of 4 MB 5-V 44TSOP Flash Memories, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1995-1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of 10-bit Analog-Digital converters, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1995-1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of low-voltage low-offset op-amps, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1995-1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a Japanese manufacturer of 20-MHz 5-V 50-ns 16-bit microcontrollers, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1995-1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of micro-miniature and cable-assembly RF connectors, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1996). 

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of embedded-control field-programmable gate-array coprocessors (March - Aug. 1995). 

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of 8-bit 40-pin 160 ns 25 MHz RISC-based one-time-programmable microcontrollers (March - Aug. 1995). 

Assessed the Indian market for a Japanese manufacturer of 32-bit 38 MIPS 33 MHz 5-volt singlechip RISC Microcontrollers (Aug. - Dec. 1995). 

Assessed the Indian market for a European manufacturer of satellite bitstream decoding and demultiplexing, and video decompression integrated circuits (1995-1996). 

Advisors to Vital Communications Ltd. for marketing of Compaq and IBM products, 1997 onwards.

 

Power and Electricity

Assignments Performed

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a French vendor of Software and associated Hardware for Real-Time Process Control of Thermal Power Plants (1992-1994, subcontract).

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a US vendor of Software for Modelling, Simulation, and Visualization of the Thermal Cycles of Thermal Power Plants (1992- 1994, subcontract).

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a US vendor of Software for Modelling, Simulation, and Visualization of Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (1992-1995, subcontract).

Reviewed and assessed the business plans and market penetration strategy for India for a German vendor of Software for Simulation and Real-Time Feedback Control of Electricity Generation, Transmission, and Distribution (1992-1995, subcontract).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of 3.3 to 33 KV On-Off Load Isolators in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1988-1989).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Digital AC Drives in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1988-1989).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of 110 kV Air Break Isolators in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1989-1990).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of AC Variable Frequency Drives in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1989-1990).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of 11 kV Ring Main Units in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1989-1990).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Metal Clad Vacuum Switchgears in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1989-1990).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Bulk Oil Circuit Breakers in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1989-1990).

Identified potential technical collaborators, and Assisted an Indian manufacturer of 72.5 KV / 145 KV spring tripping SF6 Gas Circuit Breakers in its technology transfer negotiations with a European manufacturer (1988-1990).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of 132 KV XLPE Insulated Power Cables in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1989-1990).

Identified potential technical collaborators, and Assisted an Indian manufacturer of LT 3-Phase Squirrel Cage Induction Motors and LT Slipring Motors in its technology transfer negotiations with two US manufacturers (1990-1992).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of PCB Mounted Miniature Relays in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1991-1992).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Moulded Case Circuit Breakers in its technology transfer negotiations with a Canadian manufacturer (1993).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of 16-63 Amp, 2-pole & 4-pole Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers and Miniature Circuit Breakers in its technology transfer negotiations with a German manufacturer (1994-1995).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of High Voltage Rectifiers in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (March - June 1994).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of 6.3 MVA 33 KV Distribution and Power Transformers in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1994-1995).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Mixed Dielectric High Voltage Power Factor Correction Capacitors in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1992).

 


Metallurgy and Materials Processing

Assignments Performed

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Seamless Steel Tubes for Boilers and Heat Exchangers in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1994).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Seamless Steel Tubes for Automotive Axle Casings in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1994).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Cold Rolled Steel Sheets and Coils in its technology transfer negotiations with a Canadian manufacturer (1996).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Ductile, Grey, and Malleable Iron Castings for Automobiles in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1994).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Induction Hardened and Tempered Rear Axle Shafts in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1992).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Copper Alloy Forgings for Traction Control Gears in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1989).

Advised an Indian trading group to tie up with a US toll smelter wherein the Indian party would export copper reverts, copper spent anodes, and copper anode slime, and then import back into India, the copper wire bars and copper cathodes, as well as the nickel, selenium, gold, and silver produced by the US toll smelter (1989-1992).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of nickel bars, rods, and profiles, and evaluated potential Indian distributors (1991, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of misch metal (1995, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of Aluminium containers for compressed and liquefied gases (1990-1991, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of unwrought sintered Tungsten bars and rods (1990-1991, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of unwrought sintered Molybdenum bars and rods (1991-1992, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of unwrought sintered Tantalum bars and rods (1992-1993, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of Magnesium raspings, turnings, and granules (1994-1995, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of unwrought Cadmium, unwrought Titanium, and unwrought Zirconium (1990-1993, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a US manufacturer of Beryllium, Vanadium, and Indium (1990-1993, subcontract).

Assessed the Indian market for a UAE exporter of unrefined sulphur (1990, subcontract).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Cadmium Copper Catenary Wires in its technology transfer negotiations with a UK manufacturer (1989-1990).

Assisted an Indian manufacturer of Cold Rolled Non Oriented Silicon Steels in its technology transfer negotiations with a US manufacturer (1989-1990).

 

 

Other Consultancy Assignments Performed

Prepared a report for a Swedish think tank on software piracy, software copyright laws, and patent laws in India (1991, updated in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999).

Prepared a report for a Swedish think tank on the implications of India joining the World Trade Organization, especially on signing the Paris Convention on Patents (1994, updated in 1995, 1997, 1999).

Prepared a status report for a German think tank on laws governing electronic commerce in India (1999).

Prepared a status report for a US organization on the proposed Broadcasting Bill (1998, updated in 1999).

Prepared an analysis report for a European think tank on the dissolution of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in January 2000 (Jan. - Feb. 2000).

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad worked as a team member on the following eight projects when he was Research Associate at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1985 - 1986. These eight projects were performed under the supervision of Dr. Raj Reddy, Director of the Robotics Institute, and then President of the American Association of Artificial Intelligence.

  • "Automation in the Semiconductor Industry - Technical Trends and Commercial Implications", for United Nations Development Program (UNDP). 

  • "Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Education", for UNESCO, which used it to introduce computer based education in Senegal. 

  • "Automation in the Semiconductor Industry - Technical Trends". 

  • "Potential Use of Expert Systems in Wafer Fabrication". 

  • "Expert System Based Design of Gate Arrays and Standard Cells". 

  • "Automated Production of Magnetic Recording Media". 

  • "Expert Systems for Real-Time Feedback Process Controls and Thermal Modelling for Continuous Casting of Alloy Steels". 

  • "Expert Systems for Generation of Multicomponent Alloy Phase Diagrams and Prediction of Mechanical & Electronic Properties".
Deliverables


Our   Management   Team

 

Ravi     Visvesvaraya     Prasad 

  • Master of Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, U.S.A., 1986. 

  • Master of Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, 1985. 

  • Certified Lead Assessor Diploma ("with honours"), European Union ESPRIT BOOTSTRAP Institute EEIG, for System and Software Quality Assessments, 1993. 

  • Master of Science, Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, 1982. 

Prior Experience of Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

Indus Technologies Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A, 1985-1990. 
Assisted Dr. Raj Gopal and Dr. P. Rai-Choudhuri of Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and Dr. Raj Reddy (Advisor to President Bill Clinton on Information Technology, and then Director, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University) in founding Indus Technologies Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Performed the following start-up and incorporation functions for Indus Technologies Inc.  : 

  • Interacted with attorneys to incorporate Indus Technologies.
  • Assisted the Board of Directors in complying with legal requirements of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. 
  • Performed feasibility studies; prepared detailed project reports. 
  • Participated in negotiations with venture capitalists and financiers.
  • Identified US corporations for marketing and for strategic alliances and participated in negotiations with them. These included : 
  • Embedded Software for Real Time Control Systems : Westinghouse. 
  • Real-Time Software for Controlling & Monitoring Electricity Generation, Transmission & Distribution : Westinghouse, Bechtel. 
  • Computer Aided Design & Manufacturing : Martin-Marietta, Boeing, Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, Ford, General Motors, Westinghouse. 
  • Seismic Data Processing : AlphaGeo, Houston Geophysical, GeoData. 
  • Design & Manufacture of VLSI Integrated Circuits : TRW, Hughes, Westinghouse, AT&T, IBM, Motorola, Intel, VLSI Technology. 
  • Design & Manufacture of High Power Semiconductor Devices : RCA, Harris, Rockwell, Powerex, International Rectifier, Westinghouse. 
  • Manufacture of Polycrystalline & Single Crystal Silicon : Siltec, Motorola, Monsanto, Hemlock, Union Carbide, Texas Instruments. 
  • Manufacture of Specialty Alloys: Allegheny-Ludlum, Allied-Signal. 
  • Manufacture of Magnetic Recording Media : 3M, Kodak, Polaroid. 
  • Components for Fibre Optic Communication Systems : STC of U.K.

Research Associate, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 1985 - 1986. 

Reported directly to Dr. Raj Reddy, Advisor to President Bill Clinton on Information Technology, Director, Robotics Institute, and President, American Association of Artificial Intelligence. Participated in preparing two reports for the United Nations together with Dr. Raj Reddy. 

  • "Automation in the Semiconductor Industry", for UNDP.
  • "Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Education", for UNESCO, which used it to introduce computer based education in Senegal.
Participated in the following projects at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie-Mellon : 
  • "Automation in the Semiconductor Industry - Technical Trends". 
  • "Potential Use of Expert Systems in Wafer Fabrication". 
  • "Expert System Based Design of Gate Arrays and Standard Cells". 
  • "Automated Production of Magnetic Recording Media". 
  • "Expert Systems for Real-Time Feedback Process Controls and Thermal Modelling for Continuous Casting of Alloy Steels". 
  • "Expert Systems for Generation of Multicomponent Alloy Phase Diagrams and Prediction of Mechanical & Electronic Properties".


Our Public Profile

Our staff frequently publish articles in journals such as Economic Times, Observer of Business & Politics, Telegraph, Asian Age, etc. on information technology, electronics, and telecom. 

Our staff are frequently interviewed on television and in journals and newspapers on information technology, electronics, and telecom. We often appear on CNBC, Star TV, Zee TV, Jain TV, and Doordarshan and are frequently quoted by Bridge News, Fortune, Reuters, Associated Press, Dow Jones, Economic Times, Observer of Business & Politics, Telegraph, Asian Age, etc.

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad delivered the keynote address and chaired several sessions of the Wireless Local Loop India Conference organized by IBC Asia / Informa in New Delhi in September 1998.

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad delivered the keynote address and chaired several sessions of the Call Center India Conference organized by IBC Asia / Informa in New Delhi in November 1998.

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad was chairman of the Sponsorship Committee of the First Software Engineering Process Group Conference organized by Quality Assurance Institute India Ltd. and Carnegie Mellon in Bangalore in February 1999.

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad was chairman of the Sponsorship Committee of the Second Software Engineering Process Group Conference organized by Quality Assurance Institute India Ltd. and Carnegie Mellon in Bangalore in February 2000.

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad was chairman of the Sponsorship Committee of the First Software Testing Conference organized by Quality Assurance Institute India Ltd. in Bangalore in December 1999.

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad was  Rapporteur of the International Seminar on "Universal Telecommunications Through GSM Technology", January 1995, organized by the official international GSM MoU, Department of Telecommunications of the Government of India, and Telecom Industry and Services Association of India (TISA). He summarized each session, briefed the press, and edited the proceedings. 

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad was an Expert Referee / Pre-publication Reviewer for UNIDO's "Handbook of Telecommunications Software, 1994". 

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad was an Indian Delegate to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization's "Workshop for Asia and Pacific Region Representatives from the Telecommunications Software and Equipment Industries", New Delhi, Sept. 1992. 

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad is Associate Director, Centre for Telecommunications Management and Studies. On invitation, he testified several times before the Parliamentary Committee on Telecommunications regarding privatization; constitution of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India; overhaul of the 1885 Telegraph Act; basic telecom services tender; GSM cellular mobile services tenders; radio paging tenders; mobile radio trunking tender; tariffs and interconnections; value- added services, etc. 

Our Participation in Professional Organizations

Industry Member, Regional Institute of Environment Technology, Singapore (promoted by the Commission of the European Union and the Government of Singapore). 

Electronics and Telecommunications Committees of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). 

Electronics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications, and BISNET Committees of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). 

Electronics & Telecommunications and Industry Committees of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). 

Electronics and Telecommunications Committee and the Quality and Productivity Committee of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

Indian Council of Arbitration. 

Electrochemical Society (USA). 

Ten Societies of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA. 

Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), UK. 

American Society for Metals. 

The Metallurgical Society of AIME (USA). 

National Association of Corrosion Engineers (USA). 

Association of Iron & Steel Engineers (USA). 

American Ceramic Society. 

Institution of Electronics & Telecommunications Engineers (India).

 

How to Contact Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad & Associates

 

E-Mail

r_v_p@pmail.net

rvp@mailcity.com

rvp@excite.com

rvp@hotbot.com

r_v_p@yifan.net

 

 

Faxes 

+[91] (11) 558-6868, +[91] (11) 567-6386,

+[91] (11) 557-1557

Messaging & Paging

  +[91] (11) 9622-055-555, 

+[91] (11) 9622-173-660 

(24 hours x 365 days)

Phones 

+[91] (11) 558-9682, +[91] (11) 558-5439

Cellular Mobile Phone of  Ravi V. Prasad 

+[91] 98-101-30877

 

Mail

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad & Associates

19, Maitri Apts., CIS Off Soc

A - 3, Paschim Vihar

New Delhi, 110 063

India

<bgsound src="moldau-n.mid">