"Opportunistic", Bhavish Aggarwal Responds to MapMyIndia’s Copy Allegations

Ola Maps’ free access for developers was launched earlier this month to compete with Google Maps. However, this latest initiative by Ola Electric has sparked controversy and led to a legal notice.

MapMyIndia’s parent company, CE Info Systems, has issued a legal notice to Ola Electric, accusing them of copying data and breaching an agreement. According to the company, Ola allegedly copied and saved MapMyIndia's data, co-mingled it with other data, and reverse-engineered the licensed product, all in violation of a 2001 agreement.

Here's everything you need to know about the ongoing saga between Ola Electric and MapMyIndia.

Ola Electric vs MapMyIndia: Full Story

Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola CEO and Founder, made Ola Maps developer access free for one year. This was his first move to end the dominance of Google Maps. After Ola's announcement, Google reduced the price of its Maps for developers by 70 per cent. 

After #ExitAzure, it’s time for 🇮🇳developers to #ExitGoogleMaps! 1 YEAR FREE access to all developers to Ola Maps on @Krutrim, more than ₹100Cr in free credits! https://t.co/K1JHFBlNt1

We’ve been using western apps to map India for too long and they don’t get our unique… pic.twitter.com/18l2GdzCkC

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) July 8, 2024

According to Indian Express, the notice was sent after discussions with Ola Electric failed. The legal notice comes ahead of Ola's move to go public with its Rs 6,100 crore IPO soon, with an expected price of Rs 72-76 per share.

This situation could potentially negatively impact the health of initial public offerings (IPOs). However, Ola Electric has denied all the allegations against them and, on July 29, issued a press release, assuring that the company is following the words of agreements and fair business practice. It will respond to the legal notice soon.

Ola Electric Statement on MapMyIndia Allegations

A spokesperson for Ola added, “Ola Electric wishes to address the recent claims made by CE Info Systems in relation to the alleged issues with Ola Maps vis-à-vis MapMyIndia and reported in the news media. We would like to state unequivocally that these allegations are false, malicious, and misleading.”

Bhavish Aggarwal, on the other hand, called MapMyIndia "Opportunistic" in a public interview.