ASUS's ZenFone line may not be popular stateside, but that's not the case in overseas markets. Unfortunately, it looks like the ZenFone phones may soon have to be completely rebranded in India. This is thanks to a lawsuit made by Telecare Network, which owns the trademarks "ZEN" and "ZENMOBILE" in the country.

Telecare Network claimed that it had been using "ZEN" and "ZENMOBILE" in its product branding since 2008, and that ASUS's "ZenFone" name, introduced to the Indian market in 2014, is identical or deceptively similar to those trademarks. This was compounded by the fact that both brands sell similar devices at similar price points.

ASUS argued that its ZenFone brand was inspired by founder Jonney Shih's belief in the Zen philosophy and that the ZenFone name is known to be associated with ASUS, but at the end of the case, the Delhi court ruled in favor of Telecare Network.

Starting July 23 (eight weeks after the May 28 decision), ASUS will be prohibited from selling, offering, and advertising mobile phones/accessories under Zen or ZenFone branding. ASUS still has a chance at the next hearing on July 10, but if the court still can't be convinced by then, it will be forced to cease sales of Zen-branded mobile products.

UPDATE: 2019/06/08 11:27am PDT BY RICHARD GAO

Looking at Flipkart's listing, it seems that ASUS has taken quick action in rebranding for India. The ZenFone 6 will now be called "ASUS 6z" there. The listing does still have "ZenFone 6" in the URL, but there's probably not much that can be done about that.

Source: Bar & Bench