Xiaomi reprieve in Ericsson patent case: Redmi 1S can be sold, but not Redmi Note

In a reprieve to Xiaomi, the Delhi High Court in India has granted partial relief to the Chinese smartphone maker in the Ericsson patent infringement case, which saw its popular Redmi Note and 1S devices banned from sale in the country.

According to an official tweet by Press Trust of India, the Delhi High Court has granted Xiaomi the temporary right to import and sell Qualcomm-based smartphones in India, until 8 January.

Delhi HC permits Xiaomi to sell and import Qualcomm chipset based handsets till January 8.

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 16, 2014

This means that the popular Qualcomm-based Redmi 1S can be sold through the first week of January, but Xiaomi's other popular offering, the Redmi Note, still faces a sales ban as it is built on a MediaTek processor.

The latest Delhi High Court ruling should bring joy to Xiaomi's loyalists who expressed solidarity towards the company during the court's earlier injunction order that completely prevented Xiaomi from selling handsets that allegedly violate Ericsson's technology patents in India.

Xiaomi vs Ericsson

The Delhi High Court, on 8 December, passed an injunction order against Xiaomi, for the company's alleged infringement of patents by Sweden-based Ericsson.

As per the injunction order, Xiaomi will have to stop selling smartphones in India temporarily. The China-bred company was also required to refrain from either advertising or importing handsets whose designs infringe upon patent designs registered by Ericsson.

Even Xiaomi's e-commerce partner Flipkart was included under the purview of the court's directive.

Currently, Both the high-end Redmi Note, priced at a comparatively affordable £103 (INR 9,999, $162), and the mid-range Redmi 1S, priced at £60 (INR 5,999, $100), are now closed for purchase registration on Flipkart.

However, Mi fans can expect yet another round of flash-sales, for the Redmi 1S, to take place on Flipkart, but there has been no official confirmation regarding the resumption of Mi handsets sales, by either Xiaomi or Flipkart.

In complying with the court's directive, Xiaomi's Vice-President Hugo Barra apologised to Mi fans, for stopping sales, but had promised to be back soon.