On 14 February 2000, Hutchison Max Telecom Ltd (HMTL) – a joint venture between Hutchison Whampoa and Max Group introduced the brand in the country; through the rebranding of its existing Mumbai telecom circle Cell phone service – 'Max Touch', to 'Orange'. Shortly, issues arose concerning the ownership of the 'Orange' brand in India, when France Telecom who in May 2000 purchased the worldwide rights for the brand from Vodafone#History; made an offer to pick up a significant stake in Hutchison's India operations, in order to own the brand in India. Hutchison turned down the offer, as it had retained the rights over the brand in India through an earlier agreement, but ended up paying royalty to France Telecom.