Asus started gaining its popularity with the success of the Zenfone 2 Series. Also, their recent launches of the budget friendly devices like Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Zenfone Max Pro M2 increased the said popularity. As it got more popular, it’s also facing some consequences along with that. According to the recent hearing from Delhi High Court, Asus is now restricted from using Zen or Zenfone Branding in India.
Yes, the Delhi High Court has now restricted Asus from using Zen or Zenfone Branding in India. It’s interesting to note that this comes in just days before the company is expected to launch its flagship smartphone, Zenfone 6 in India.
A lawsuit filed by Telecare against Asus claims that they own the trademarks for Zen and Zen Mobiles. Not only they own those trademarks, they also sell devices under the same brand name. Furthermore, the company noted that it’s been selling devices under the Zen name since 2008, while Asus started selling smartphones under the Zenfone Branding in 2014.
Asus argued that the Zen is a generic Buddhist term and that there shouldn’t be any confusion as Asus brand name is coupled with the Zenfone branding of devices. To this, Delhi High Court agreed that Zen is a common term but also said that the brand name Zen can’t be directly associated with smartphones and tablets.
The court’s decision was in favour of Telecare and said that Asus’ use of similar brand name is damaging. Thereafter the court also ordered Asus to halt sales of any smartphones, tablet or accessory with Zenfone branding in India, starting July 23.
Asus does have a hearing scheduled for July 10. That is when it’ll have to convince the Delhi High Court that its decision to use Zenfone Branding is not a trademark violation. If Asus fails to do so, it’ll have two options. One would be to halt sales of its products with Zen or Zenfone Branding in India. And the second would be
The company does have a launch event for the Zenfone 6 scheduled in the upcoming weeks. It remains to be seen if the company postpones the launch or goes ahead as per the schedule.
