Asus introduced the Zenfone 6 in Valencia last month with a fancy flip camera. It was supposed to launch on June 19 in India and sold through Flipkart, but the date was removed from the website, following a ruling by an Indian court that Asus cannot use the Zenfone moniker in the country. This means the launch is postponed as the company evaluates its options.
The launch of the Asus Zenfone 6 in India might get delayed owing to the recent developments (usage of the term Zen).
The launch date that was initially set to June 19 has now been removed.#Asus #Asuszenfone6 pic.twitter.com/hFkOavzAm2 Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) June 5, 2019
Initially, the mobile website of Asus had the June 19 date and Flipkart logos on its homepage, but now those are omitted and there is only the vague coming soon on the product page.
Asus is arguing the ruling and a hearing is scheduled for July 10 when well know whether the Taiwanese company will be allowed once again to use the Zenfone moniker or has to rebadge all its smartphones.
Yesterday, the Delhi High Court said the Zen trademark was owned by Telecare Network, a company with products named Zen and ZenMobile. It owns the naming rights since 2008 and said in the lawsuit that the Zenfone branding might cause confusion in the minds of the public.
Asus argued that Zen has common usage and is rooted in Buddhism, but that did not stop the court from protecting the Indian phone company.