OnePlus has been directed by the Delhi High Court to halt marketing, selling and shipping of its smartphones in India. The directive came after Micromax sought an injunction against OnePlus for allegedly infringing upon exclusive rights it had acquired with Cyanogen.
OnePlus had launched its OnePlus One on December 2. Micromax, which will soon launch its own series of Cyanogen-based Yu phones in India, said that it had “incurred major expenses for creation of a brand exclusivity for providing to Indian customers mobile phones with Cyanogen operating systems” and “it would suffer irreparable harm and loss if the defendants (OnePlus) are permitted to continue with their illegal acts in violation of the agreement between Micromax and Cyanogen”.
OnePlus says that it had signed a collaboration agreement and trademark licence agreement with Cyanogen earlier this year that allowed use of trademark and software globally except in China. The company also said the agreement was terminated a fortnight before its launch in India.
Earlier, Cyanogen announced it won't support OnePlus One phones in India following an agreement with Micromax.
“The arrangement highlights the significance of the software-hardware partnership and the shared vision of delivering a whole new class of user-focused mobile device experiences that will immensely benefit the end user. Micromax has announced a new Internet brand YU, which is slated to announce its first device on Cyanogen OS. Cyanogen’s exclusive deal also means that Cyanogen OS will not support any other devices shipping in India with future updates including Lollipop,” Cyanogen had said in its release.
The tussle between Cyanogen and OnePlus comes shortly after Ericsson secured an injunction against Xiaomi for allegedly breaching its patent rights. The Delhi HC later allowed Xiaomi to sell and import Qualcomm-based handsets until January 8.
Also read: Here's why Xiaomi phones are banned in India and OnePlus One Review
Source: LiveMint