Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group’s subsidiary UC Web said Sunday that it has not broken Indian law after a compliant by a former employee.
UC Web told the Global Times in a statement that UC has been unwavering in its commitment to the India market and welfare of its local employees, and its policies comply with the country’s local laws.
“We will not be able to comment further on this issue since the matter is sub judice,” UC Web said.
The company’s comments came after a Reuters report Sunday that claim that an Indian court has summoned Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma Yun in a case in which a former employee in India said he was wrongfully fired after objecting to what he saw as censorship and “fake news” on one of the company’s apps.
The summoning event, issued by a court in Gurgaon, a satellite city of New Delhi and the location of the main office of UC Web, involved around a dozen individuals or company units in addition to Alibaba and Ma, asking them to appear in court or through a lawyer Wednesday, according to the Reuters report.
Wang Shuai, chairman of the marketing and public relations committee at Alibaba, said on his WeChat friend circle on Sunday that UC India is now handling the case according to the relevant procedures. However, as to whether Ma himself is aware or not, Wang said he is not clear.
“Ma has been hard to find ever since he retired…” Wang noted in a humorous tone.
Ma officially retired on September 10 last year.
The Global Times learned from lawyers that in Indian law, the prosecutor can appoint anyone as the defendant, but the court needs to determine whether it is valid. If the Indian court does not consider that the prosecution against the defendant is justified, it will not issue a subpoena.
Alibaba operates four entities under UC Web in India: UC Browser, UC News, VMate and 9Apps. UC Browser was one of the 59 Chinese apps that was banned by the Indian government on June 29.
Following the ban, UC Web has shut down operations in India, telling its employees on July 15 that it is winding up its operations due to an uncertain future and business losses, according to a report by India Today.
The company has around 100 employees in its main office in Gurgaon.
UC Browser is the second largest mobile browser in India. Data from market research company StatCounter showed that as of June, UC Browser’s markets share in India was 10.19 percent, following Google.
Since its entry into the Indian market in 2009, UC Browser has been quickly accepted by Indian users thanks to its reduced software download size, fast download and browsing speed, adaptability to poor network environments and economical traffic conditions.
Another product, US News, saw its monthly active users surge up to 80 million within nine months since it was launched in June 2016, media reports said.
The logo of Alibaba Group is seen at the company’s headquarters in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, on July 20. Photo: VCG
