Apple has announced a surprise move to suspend some sales of its highly popular Watch device ahead of the crucial Christmas period, due to a dispute over patent rights with a 15-year-old Indian technology start-up.
The company said that it was pausing some sales of its Apple Watch on the country’s ecommerce platform Flipkart until it sorted out the dispute with Gurgaon-based Neobric Technologies. The Watch is being offered by Apple and its third-party sellers on Flipkart, with Neobric Technologies alleging that Apple was infringing on its patent for a smartwatch device that it had registered in 2018.
“We take intellectual property rights very seriously and are already in the process of working with the Indian Patent Office and Neobric Technology to resolve this issue,” Apple India said in a statement.
The dispute has sparked a debate over intellectual property issues in India, where foreign companies often face challenges with patent and trademark registrations. Experts are urging the government to address the lack of robust IP protection to ensure that such disputes can be avoided in the future.
The move is likely to be a blow to Apple, which is heavily reliant on sales of its watches during the holiday season. While the impact of the dispute is unclear, it could hurt the tech giant’s chances of a successful Christmas season in India.
