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The Bengaluru Commercial Court has restrained Way2News from using confidential information, intellectual property and data belonging to devotional technology startup AppsForBharat, giving the temporary company interim relief in its dispute with the operator of VedaMandir. The copy of orderreviewed by Entrackr was passed on September 10 by the LXXXVII Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge in a commercial suit filed by FirstPrinciple AppsForBharat against Way2News. The court, after hearing the counsel for AppsForBharat, granted an ad-interim ex parte injunction restraining Way2News, its directors, employees, agents and representatives from using any confidential information belonging to AppsForBharat, including intellectual property and any other data generated by the company and received from its former employee , Shivam Kumar Singh. The matter is next listed for October 5 for further proceedings. The injunction is temporary and remains in force until the next hearing. The dispute centres on VedaMandir, Way2News’s recently launched devotional platform that allows users to book personalised chadhava, pujas and daan at temples, with documentation and prasad delivery. AppsForBharat has operated Sri Mandir since December 2020, a competing platform that offers digital devotional services and connects devotees with temples and priests. AppsForBharat has alleged that Way2News illegally obtained and used its confidential business information and intellectual property. A key part of its case concerns Sri Mandir’s videos that it says were used by Way2News on VedaMandir’s social media and in its marketing campaigns on or around August 31. According to the suit, those videos are the intellectual property of AppsForBharat and had originally been uploaded to AppsForBharat’s Google Drive and internal systems on March 18. The company submitted screenshots and comparisons of the material to the court. AppsForBharat also placed before the court an August 25 confidential data access attempt from an account using the Way2News domain. The request sought access to a folder containing its user data and video material and was sent from the official Way2News email address of its former employee. The company described the request as an attempt to access sensitive proprietary information and trade secrets. Way2News, in its response to AppsForBharat’s allegations, denied any attempt to access or use confidential information. It said the disputed Google Drive access resulted from an old link connected to Singh’s previous employment. According to Way2News, Singh inadvertently accessed the link, realised he was still part of legacy WhatsApp groups from his previous workplace and exited them. The company said there was no intent to obtain, transfer or use AppsForBharat’s confidential information. Way2News also said it had not received any court order so far. The startup has also relied on confidentiality obligations in the former employee’s agreement, which covered business, technical, financial, customer, supplier and marketing information. It has sought permanent injunctions against the use or disclosure of its confidential information and intellectual property, return of such material, an account of profits, and Rs 1 crore in compensation.
document fetched 2026-09-13 02:52