No control over third-party sellers, says phone maker Xiaomi

Xiaomi India, accused by Swedish rival Ericsson of selling illegal mobile handsets in India, on Friday clarified that it is following court orders in this regard, and put the blame on third-party sellers over whom it has no control.

In an email to BGR India, Xiaomi India's Manu Jain clarified the issue saying it has followed the court order, and put the blame on a third-party reseller (See: Xiaomi selling 'illegal' phones in India, Ericsson tells HC).

Ericsson claims that Xiaomi was violating a high court order by selling MediaTek-powered smartphones through xiaomishop.com. But Jain said, ''Sales by xiaomishop.com are entirely without authorisation from Xiaomi, and has no affiliation with Xiaomi in any way. It is owned and operated by a third party and is not an authorized seller of Xiaomi devices in India or any other part of the world.''

Jain further said that Xiaomi intends to take legal action against the portal, since it is ''infringing our trademarks, and we have previously requested them to stop selling Xiaomi products.''

The Court's order, which allows Xiaomi to sell Qualcomm-powered smartphones in India still stands, and the next hearing is scheduled for 18 March.

Last year, the Delhi High Court passed an injunction banning Xiaomi from importing and selling smartphones in India on patent infringement complaints by Ericsson. The Court however later partially lifted the ban and allowed the Chinese company to sell Qualcomm-powered smartphones in the country.

(See: Xiaomi plans Chennai plant through partner Inventec by July).