Flipkart has dragged Nikon India to the Karnataka High Court for 
placing an alert on its website cautioning consumers from buying its products from the online marketplace and rival Snapdeal.
Nikon India’s caution notice dated June 16, 2014, said e-commerce websites “like Flipkart, Snapdeal are not our authorized partner/dealer” and asked consumers to “check the warranty entitlements while buying from online portals.” “They have singled us out and they cannot make such statements,” said a person familiar with Flipkart’s case.
“We are selling the same product and therefore, we are asking the high court to restrain Nikon from publishing the statement on their website.” The case was filed on August 3 and the next hearing is scheduled on August 21, according to the court’s website. Flipkart did not respond to an email seeking comment on the matter. Nikon India said it received a letter from an advocate regarding the issue and is studying it. It declined to comment further, saying the matter is sub judice.
“Advisories discouraging customers to buy from online marketplaces like Snapdeal are unwarranted,” a spokesperson for the ecommerce company said in an email, adding that they also are “against the principles of free trade and commerce.”
Products available on Snapdeal carry the same genuine and legitimate title and hence are eligible for warranty as applicable to any off-line purchases, the Snapdeal spokesperson said.
New Delhi-based Snapdeal had filed a case against kitchen appliance maker Kaff last year for a similar advisory on its website.
Last year, companies, including LG, Lenovo and Toshiba, issued advisories on their websites stating that they had not authorized the sale of their products on online marketplaces.
