Patent your work to secure future dividends: US Consular Chief Rebekah Drame tells startups

Rebekah Drame, Consular Chief at the US Consulate General, Hyderabad, in an interaction with The Hindu in Vijayawada.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI

The startup ecosystem in India is growing at a faster pace. Indian students working on startups and innovative projects should also focus on patenting their work to reap rich dividends in future, says Rebekah Drame, Consular Chief at the US Consulate General in Hyderabad.

Speaking to The Hindu near here, Ms. Rebekah said the startup environment in the two Telugu States is a perfect place for leaders around the world to come together and get ideas. At the same time, it’s important that the innovators patent their work as intellectual property is crucial, she adds.

“Everywhere I go, I always say patent it, patent it and patent it to protect yourself because intellectual property is a huge issue. So that way, you get the royalties rather than just getting one lump sum for your idea. If you patent it, you get paid for it forever. For every single design that comes from your original design, you receive royalties for the rest of your life and your children’s lives and your children’s children. So we also encourage startups to think about that more often,” Ms. Rebekah says.

Investments by U.S. firms in India

About the growing investments by U.S. firms in India, she says there are greater collaborations between the countries now. People-to-people exchanges and the grooming of talent from both the U.S. and India are more evident now. Many American companies are investing in Hyderabad. These companies have innovation and incubation centres where academics, engineers, and business people can get together and find ways to make lives smarter, she says.

“In a five-minute journey from my home to work in Hyderabad, I pass about 11 US companies. I think there’s no greater testament to the commitment of American companies to operate and invest in India,” she adds.

She further said there was a huge talent trained in the US universities which returned to India and coming up with a lot of innovation. Added to that, there are collaborations among IITs and the premium institutions in the US for making life better.

Detailing examples of Indian innovations operating in the U.S. market, Ms. Rebekah mentioned a Vijayawada-based company supplying home alarm systems to the U.S. She also found the solar, camera, and Wi-Fi-enabled smart poles at the disaster relief centre in Visakhapatnam impressive and relevant for the U.S. markets.

Commenting on the ‘insatiable urge’ among some Indians for U.S. visas, she cautioned students and other applicants against providing incorrect information to U.S. Universities or officials during the visa and university application processes.

“There is less on students selecting wrong universities and more on students doing due diligence. The U.S. visa process and study programme are designed such that any person can do it by themselves. And you don’t need to ask a consultant or a senior student. One of the biggest advice is that you should get your information from the correct source. We have the ‘Study USA’ website which has all the information on it and this information is free,” she says.

To meet the high demand from visa applicants and passport applications from U.S. citizens who wish to come and study in India, etc., the staff at the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad was doubled after it was shifted to a new office in Nanakramguda, and according to Ms. Rebekah, the strength is expected to be tripled by next year.

When asked about President-elect Donald Trump and any likely policy change on visas for Indians, etc., she said,” We can’t speculate on what President Trump will do after January 20th, when he takes charge and takes a view on the policies.”