MapMyIndia accuses Ola of copying data to develop Ola Maps
What's the story
CE Info Systems, the parent company of MapMyIndia, has accused Ola Electric of illegally copying data to develop its recently launched Ola Maps. The legal notice served to Ola Electric, stated that the company had cached and saved its client's API and SDKs from proprietary sources to build Ola Maps for "unjust commercial gains." To note, in 2022, Ola Electric entered into a partnership with MapMyIndia to provide navigation services for its S1 Pro scooter.
Agreement violation
Ola's independent development claims challenged
The legal notice also disputes Ola's assertion of independently developing its API and map data through open sources. It emphasizes that Ola's actions breach the terms of their agreement, which explicitly forbids co-mingling and reverse engineering under Intellectual Property laws. "By indulging in such unscrupulous and illegal activities, you have acted in blatant defiance of the terms and conditions of the agreement," reads the notice.
Mapping shift
Ola's transition from Google Maps overshadowed by allegations
In early July, Bhavish Aggarwal, founder and CEO of Ola, announced the launch of Ola Maps. This marked a significant shift as it meant that Ola had completely exited from using Google Maps. The transition reduced its mapping service expenditure from ₹100 crore annually to zero. However, this rollout has now been overshadowed by allegations from CE Info Systems, accusing Ola of misusing confidential information and trade secrets belonging exclusively to MapMyIndia.
IPO controversy
Allegations surface amid Ola Electric's IPO rollout
The allegations against Ola surfaced amid the company's ₹6,100-crore IPO rollout, with anchor investors set to begin bidding on August 1. The legal notice from CE Info Systems accuses Ola of adopting unfair trade practices with the sole objective of unjustly enriching itself at the expense of MapMyIndia. "The said illegal actions and the unfair trade practices adopted by you...are unacceptable," stated CE Info Systems.