PhonePe, BharatPe settle 5-year-long trademark disputes over 'Pe' suffix

UPI payments giant PhonePe and BharatPe Group have "amicably settled" all long-standing legal disputes related to the use of the trademark with the suffix '"Pe" (pronounced as "Pay")

This dispute began in 2018 and involved both companies contesting each other's right to use "Pe" in their brand names and marketing materials. 

How did the dispute begin?

In 2018, PhonePe issued a legal notice to BharatPe, demanding that they stop using the word "Pe" in Devanagari script as part of their business name.

The dispute escalated in 2019 when PhonePe filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court, seeking an injunction to prevent BharatPe from using the "Pe" suffix.

However, the court dismissed PhonePe's claims, allowing BharatPe to continue using the suffix.

The conflict extended further when, in 2021, PhonePe sued Resilient Innovations, BharatPe's parent company, over the use of "Pe" for its PostPe Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) service. This lawsuit was also rejected by the Bombay High Court.

What led to the resolution?

The prolonged legal conflict across multiple courts has finally reached a conclusion.

Both companies announced they had amicably settled all their disputes over the trademark "Pe."

In a joint statement, BharatPe and PhonePe revealed that they have withdrawn all trademark oppositions against one another, enabling them to proceed with registering their respective trademarks without further hindrance.

Leadership comments

Rajnish Kumar, Chairman of the BharatPe Board, expressed his approval of the settlement, stating, "I appreciate the maturity and professionalism shown by the management of both sides, working closely to resolve all outstanding legal issues and moving forward to focus their energy and resources in building robust digital payment ecosystems."

Similarly, Sameer Nigam, Founder and CEO of PhonePe, noted, "I'm happy that we were able to resolve this issue in a friendly manner. The result will help both businesses advance and concentrate our combined efforts on expanding the Indian fintech sector overall."

Withdrawing all legal oppositions

Following the settlement, both companies have begun the process of withdrawing all legal oppositions against each other from the trademark registry.

This step is expected to end all pending judicial proceedings in both the Delhi and Bombay High Courts. Additionally, both companies have committed to complying with the terms of the settlement agreement to ensure a smooth transition.