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Interview first posted
4 September 2002

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q & a

five minutes with 
 SolidWorks & GSSL

About GSSL

Geometric Software Solutions has over 500 employees with offices in India, USA, Germany, Japan and Singapore, and head office in Pune India. In addition to SolidWorks, GSSL lists as OEM clients EDS PLM Solutions, MatrixOne, MSC.Software, Spatial, Autodesk, CADKEY, Delcam, Alibre, and others.

The company provides a variety of turnkey services using a blend of offshore and onshore delivery in the areas of solid, surface and feature-based modeling; surface and feature-based solids machining, nesting, pocketing, reverse engineering; drafting, UI and 3D display; geometry kernels, ACIS, Parasolid, DesignBase; body healing, mending, quality checks; and so on. www.geometricsoftware.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A software engineer was last week arrested after trying to sell the source code for the current version of SolidWorks to undercover FBI agents in a New Delhi hotel room.
        SolidWorks had given Geometric Software Solutions the contract to debug SolidWorks 2001 Plus. A GSSL employee, Shekhar Verma, worked on the the debugging project, and then resigned from the company after making a copy of the code. In July this year, he began began emailing American software companies using an alias, telling the companies he was willing to sell them the source code.
        One company he contacted, Solid Concepts, alerted SolidWorks and the FBI. The Boston office of the FBI conducted negotiations by email. Mr Verma agreed to a price of US$200,000, of which an initial 10% payment was wired to his bank account. A meeting was arranged to hand over the remaining amount in exchange for the discs.
        OnAugust 25, two undercover FBI agents met with Mr Verma at the Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi. In the hotel room, Mr Verma allegedly handed over two CDs containing the entire source code. Agents from CBI [Central Bureau of Information of India] recorded the meeting, and then arrested him for theft and criminal breach of trust.

upFront.eZine interviewed Laura Kozikowski of SolidWorks and Manu Parpia, managing director of Geometric Software Solutions:

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upFront.eZine: Is the story's claim true of the source code being worth US$70 million?

SolidWorks: We estimate the value of SolidWorks' source code to be somewhere between the range of US$70 and US$90 million.

GSSL: The sales from SolidWorks 2001 Plus have been estimated in excess of US$60 million for last year only. However, the source code is re-used year after year for the entire life of the software product. We have no idea of the value of the SolidWorks source code except to say it's very valuable.

 

upFront.eZine Are SolidWorks and GSSL doing anything to prevent this from re-occurring?

SolidWorks: Yes; we did do something: we caught the criminal with the cooperation of others in the industry. And SolidWorks and GSSL are further tightening our already sound security procedures.

GSSL: Geometric and SolidWorks are now working closely together to determine what further actions can be taken to improve security at Geometric's facility and elsewhere. Further information we may receive from the CBI as to how Mr. Verma was able to obtain the copy of the source code will assist us in determining how to improve security. Separately, Geometric has instituted a thorough analysis of its procedures governing making of copies, use of FTP sites, downloads, and the like.

 

upFront.eZine: Does GSSL have a comment on their future relationship to SolidWorks and Dassault Systemes?

GSSL: Geometric and SolidWorks have shared a deep relationship since 1996. SolidWorks has been very supportive and understanding. We believe this incident will not affect our long-standing relationship. We are working closely to determine what further action needs be taken to improve security at Geometric's facility and elsewhere.

 

upFront.eZine: Indian ITs [information technologists] are worried this loss of trust may result in loss of work for them. Can you comment on the future of American-Indian software cooperation?

GSSL: The Indian authorities are well aware that this case is of significant importance because it highlights two important aspects:

  • Willingness of India to enforce intellectual property rights.
  • To work together with global counterparts in enforcing intellectual property rights.

By taking immediate action, it has sent a strong signal which will help the future of American-India software co-operation. However it is important that the case be taken to its logical conclusion for the trust to be sustained.

 

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