• MapMyIndia's parent company sends legal notice to Ola Electric, alleging data theft in the creation of Ola Maps.
  • Ola Electric denies accusations, calling them "false, malicious, and misleading," and plans to respond to the legal notice.
  • The dispute stems from a 2021 agreement between Ola Electric and CE Info Systems, with allegations of violating IP laws and reverse engineering data.

Lately, Indian ride-hailing giant Ola has been making a lot of headlines. It has announced India's largest IPO of 2024, aiming to raise $734 million with shares priced between ₹72 and ₹76. 

The ride-hailing firm has even transitioned from Google Maps to its own Ola Maps, eliminating an annual expenditure of ₹100 crore previously allocated for mapping services. 

Not to mention, the chief Bhavish Aggarwal has also been publicly vocal about various aspects related the tech from the West. 

However, this time spotlight on Ola isn’t a positive one. 

According to a Forbes India report, CE Info Systems, the parent company of MapMyIndia, has sent a legal notice to Ola Electric over allegations of copying data to build Ola Maps.

The Legal notice reads:

“You have duplicated our client’s API (application programming interface) and SDKs (software development kits) from proprietary sources belonging to our client to build Ola Maps. It is firmly stated that our client’s exclusive data has been copied/derived by you to further your illegal motive and for your unjust commercial gains.”

The notice also challenges Ola's assertion that it developed its API and map data independently using open-source information. 

In response, Ola Electric released a statement calling the allegations "false, malicious, and misleading."

An Ola Electric Spokesperson said:

“Ola Electric wishes to address the recent claims made by CE Info Systems Limited (“CE Info”) in relation to the alleged issues with Ola Maps vis-à-vis MapMyIndia and reported in news media. We would like to state unequivocally that these allegations are false, malicious and misleading. Ola Electric stands by the integrity of its business practices. We will suitably respond to the notice shortly.”

Forbes, who first reported the whole matter, stated in their report that in June 2021, Ola Electric signed an agreement with CE Info Systems to use its data. The legal notice claims that the agreement, along with Intellectual Property (IP) laws, prohibited the mixing and reverse engineering of the data. 

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah