BharatPe and PhonePe Resolve Five-Year Legal Battle Over ‘Pe’ Trademark

In a landmark development for the Indian fintech sector, BharatPe Group and PhonePe Group have successfully resolved all long-standing legal disputes concerning the use of the trademark suffix ‘Pe’. The settlement brings an end to a protracted five-year legal battle that traversed multiple courtrooms and regulatory bodies.

The feud commenced in 2018 when PhonePe, a prominent player in the digital payment realm, issued a cease and desist notice to BharatPe, directing the latter to discontinue the use of the brand name BharatPe with ‘Pe’ inscribed in Devanagari script. In response, BharatPe, a burgeoning fintech unicorn backed by Tiger Global, promptly altered its branding strategy, adopting ‘BharatPe’ exclusively for its suite of services.

Chairman of the Board at BharatPe, Rajnish Kumar, lauded the resolution, remarking, “This is a positive development for the industry. I appreciate the maturity and professionalism shown by the Management of both sides, working closely to resolve all outstanding legal issues and moving ahead to focus their energy and resources in building robust digital payment ecosystems.”

However, tensions escalated in 2019 when PhonePe escalated the dispute by filing a lawsuit against BharatPe in the Delhi High Court, alleging trademark infringement related to its registered trademark ‘PhonePe’. Nevertheless, the court dismissed the case, declining to grant an injunction against BharatPe’s trademark usage.

Today’s settlement announcement heralds a turning point, as both parties have agreed to withdraw all oppositions against each other in the trademark register. This pivotal decision paves the way for the unimpeded registration of their respective trademarks, facilitating a conducive environment for innovation and growth within the fintech landscape.

CEO of PhonePe, Sameer Nigam, expressed his satisfaction with the amicable resolution, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in propelling the Indian fintech industry forward. With legal disputes now behind them, BharatPe and PhonePe are poised to channel their energies towards bolstering digital payment ecosystems and fostering technological advancement.