As part of a lawsuit filed by Telecare Network, Taiwanese company ASUS has been banned from selling its devices — smartphones and laptops — under its ZenFone and ZenBook series in India.
As per the lawsuit, it is suggested that Zen and Zen Mobiles are trademarks owned by Telecare Network since 2008 and have been selling the devices under the series.
Furthermore, the company has thrown light on the fact that ASUS has been making use of the name only since 2014, suggesting that Telecare has more authority over the names than ASUS.
While ASUS argued that the epithet Zen is a generic term and can be used by anyone, the Delhi High Court ruled in favor of Telecare Network stating that the name is most likely to create confusion that both companies are related to each other.
Hence, ASUS can’t sell its ZenFone smartphones and the ZenBook laptops, directly or indirectly in India.
ASUS, via a press statement to Fossbytes, said: “The ASUS legal team is currently working with the Delhi High Court in India to resolve the Zen Mobiles and ZenFone trademark lawsuit. The supply of ASUS smartphones, notebooks, and other products, as well as technical support and after-sales service for all ASUS products, remain unchanged for all consumers.”
Additionally, ASUS has a hearing scheduled for July 10 wherein if the company convinces the court, it will be able to sell the ZenFone and ZenBook devices.
For those who don’t know, the ASUS ZenFone 6 is soon to arrive in India and with the ongoing lawsuit, there is no word whether or not the device launches in the country, or if the company comes up with a new name for the smartphone.
We contacted ASUS for the same, however, did not get a reply at the time of writing. Hence, we will keep you posted about the same. Until then, keep on reading Fossbytes.
