PickMe goes to court against Ola subsidiary alleging commercial espionage

Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka Ltd., which operates PickMe, has instituted criminal action in the Magistrate Court of Colombo, alleging that a subsidiary of Ola and its Directors have committed offences under the Intellectual Property Act by stealing valuable and confidential business and technical information developed by the company, through indulging in commercial espionage. 

PickMe is the market leader in Sri Lanka for transportation of passengers through a private taxi service.

The parties named as accused are ANI Technologies Lanka Ltd. and its Directors, Karan Veer Singh Shekhawat and Nimish Joshi, along with their Operations Manager Murali Barath. 

ANI Technologies Lanka is a subsidiary of a large Indian corporate entity which runs a similar taxi service in India by the name of Ola. 

The directors of the accused company and its operations manager are all Indian nationals trying to set up business operations in Sri Lanka. The said conduct by the accused is illegal and is an offence in terms of the Intellectual Property Act of Sri Lanka.

The Magistrate, being satisfied by the facts supported before court, issued summons on all the accused, returnable on 26 February. 

The action was supported on behalf of PickMe by Senior Counsel Jeevantha Jayatilake along with Thilanka Polgampala AAL and Ralitha Amarasena AAL.