CE Info Systems, the parent company of geotech company MapmyIndia, has accused Ola Electric of illegally copying its data to build the recently launched Ola Maps interface.
According to a report by Forbes India, the startup has sent a legal notice to IPO-bound Ola Electric for co-mingling and reverse engineering its licensed product.
"You have duplicated our client's API (application programming interface) and SDKs (software development kits) from our client's proprietary resources to build OLA Maps. It is stated that our client's exclusive data has been copied / made for your unlawful purpose and unfair commercial gain. CE Infosystems launches Ola Electric
The notice also states that it disputes the EV startup's claim to develop API and map data independently through open sources. "By indulging in such unscientific and illegal activities, you have also blatantly defied the provisions of the contract and infringed the copyright exclusively reserved for our client with respect to the source code," the notice added.
The report added that Ola Electric signed an agreement with the geotech company in June 2021 to use its data. "You misused confidential information and trade secrets that only belonged to our client. What you are doing with the sole purpose of unjustly enriching yourself to the detriment of our customer's business interest is unacceptable, "the notice said.
Meanwhile, Ola Electric has termed the allegations as "false, malicious and misleading." "We want to state that these allegations are false, malicious and misleading. Ola Electric stands by the integrity of its business practices. We will respond to the notice soon, "the spokesperson said.
Notably, MapmyIndia had entered into an agreement with ride-hailing giant Ola Cabs in 2015 to enhance its mapping capabilities. Under the partnership, Ola has received full access to mapping data from MapmyIndia through a multi-year (undisclosed) license for an undisclosed amount.
Earlier this month, the ride-hailing startup completely exited Google Maps and moved to its in-house navigation platform, Ola Maps.
While Ola Maps already powers the range of Ola electric scooters, the company's CEO and founder Agarwal has also said that there will be more features like Street View, NeRFs (Neural Radiance Fields) indoor images, 3D maps and drone maps.
Through the mapping service, Ola plans to acquire giants like Google Maps and MapmyIndia. To get more developers on Ola Maps, Agarwal also announced a new pricing structure.
