The Chinese handset manufacturer, OnePlus, will be able to resume its imports and sales in India, following the lifting of the ban imposed on it by Delhi High Court. The court had earlier barred OnePlus from selling handsets based on the Cyanogen operating system in India.
In a major relief to the manufacturer, the high court judges have stated that the case shall be heard and decided afresh. The case will come up for hearing on January 7, 2015 under a single judge. The court also directed OnePlus and US-based Cyanogen to file written statements and documents on the matter within two weeks.
On December 16, 2014, OnePlus was temporarily banned from marketing, selling and importing its smartphones in India. The decision came after Indian handset maker Micromax Informatics sought an injunction against the Chinese firm stating infringement of the exclusive rights that Micromax had acquired under an ambient services and application distributions agreement with Cyanogen. The order, however, allowed OnePlus to sell its existing stock in India through its online partner Amazon.in.
In the proceedings following the plea, OnePlus stated that its smartphones features CM11S version of Cyanogen, which is different from the one to which Micromax holds exclusive rights. It had also sought three months to clear its stock and come up with new software to replace Cyanogen.
