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Since 2018, PhonePe and BharatPe, the digital payment firms are in war of words over the use of the suffix ‘Pe’. Recently, it is reported that PhonePe has pulled back its injunction plea. The firm is in terms to take on BharatPe in a full trial, which is expected to commence in the month of July.
Earlier, the Delhi high Court dismissed PhonePe’s interim injunction plea. Following, the company moved to a division bench to come to a conclusion. As per reports are concerned, now the company have taken down its injunction plea. According to the latest court order dated June 1, PhonePe’s senior counsel informed the division bench that it does not want to proceed further with its injunction plea.
A recent court order by a division bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Navin Chawla suggested, “After some arguments, learned senior counsel for the appellant (PhonePe) does not wish to press the present appeal. He, however, prays for the expeditious disposal of the suit. Keeping in view of the aforesaid limited prayer, we dispose of the present appeal by directing the learned single judge to expedite the hearing and disposal of the suit. We further direct that none of the parties shall unnecessarily take an adjournment in the proceedings before the learned Judge.”
In May 2019, PhonePe moved to the Delhi High Court to file a commercial lawsuit against BharatPe, alleging violation of its trademark and claiming exclusively on the suffix ‘Pe’. The company was looking forward for an injunction against BharatPe over the use of ‘Pe’ in its brand and app name.
A PhonePe spokesperson stated, “We had filed for an injunction almost two years ago to get a temporary reprieve until the main trial started. Giving that the injunction ruling took two years to come, it had partially lost its meaning in time anyways because BharatPe continues to actively plagiarize our mark ‘Pe’. Our main recourse was always going to be decided in a trial.”