What is surprising is that the Hyderabad-based company which hit the big-time with the launch of its instant Y2K fix, the VisualShift, in international markets, faces this threat not from domestic companies but foreign firms which could become its rivals in the future.

There are at least three known cases of companies in the US, Malaysia and Singapore, using our name to cash in on the success that VisualSoft has posted in the past few months, Raju said.

Although these may be foreign companies, it is however clear that the copycat syndrome is predominantly an Indian malady as the promoters of at least two of these companiesare non-resident Indians (NRIs).

Ironical as it may seem, one these companies, the California-based Visual Soft Inc, had a meeting with state chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu during his recent US trip when the chief executive officer (CEO) of the American company Gaddam V Reddy reportedly expressed his desire to set up shop in Hyderabad.