WinZO vs Zupee case: Microsoft willing to share data, says no need for impleadment: EXCLUSIVE

Microsoft Corporation has testified before the Delhi High Court, expressing its willingness to cooperate and provide information related to the ongoing legal dispute between WinZO and Zupee. Previously, WinZO had sought permission from the Delhi High Court to obtain critical information from Microsoft as part of its legal battle against Zupee and associated entities, including Data Empiric and FutureMinds Consulting.

In December of last year, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to Microsoft Corporation. WinZO had requested the court to direct Microsoft to disclose participant details, including IP addresses and other identifiers. According to a court order dated January 29, 2025, Microsoft stated that it is willing to provide the information requested by WinZO (the plaintiff), provided there is an appropriate court order.

Microsoft further clarified that for this purpose—i.e., supplying information — it would not be necessary to implead (a legal procedure that allows a party to bring another party into a civil lawsuit) Microsoft Corporation as a defendant (proposed defendant no. 6). The matter is scheduled for a hearing in the Delhi High Court on February 27.

In response, WinZO stated that if the requested information could be provided through a court order without the need for impleadment, then the current application might not be pursued, subject to further instructions from the plaintiff. Given this, the application has been submitted to the court for further directions.

WinZO has alleged that Zupee engaged in unauthorized attempts to extract sensitive business information. The company has also made allegations that Zupee contacted its employees to obtain confidential details about revenue, marketing plans and critical metrics. The case centers around allegations of unfair trade practices.

WinZO has sought to submit the audio recordings to substantiate its claims, requesting the court to validate facts from Microsoft, a platform that was used by Zupee members. The current application to the court to involve Microsoft seeks to verify the veracity of Zupee’s denial of involvement in soliciting WinZO’s confidential data or instructing third parties to do so.

WinZO has also sought to submit transcripts identifying senior Zupee representatives as participants in an alleged paid “market research” scheme by Data Empiric and Zupee. The defendants allegedly leveraged Microsoft Teams' "Guest" feature to mask identities while attempting to solicit sensitive business data. Further, WinZO has claimed its commercial contracts were interfered with due to Zupee's undue access to confidential information.