| Company | Value | Change | %Change |
|---|
Justice Mini Pushkarna, who presided over the preliminary hearing, observed that PhonePe had made a strong case for an interim injunction.
“Prima facie (case) has been made out for grant of injunction. Accordingly, till the next date of hearing, Defendants 1 and 2 are restrained from selling, offering to sell ‘Phone Pe’, ‘Phone Pe Loan’, or any other mark that results in infringement of the PhonePe mark,” the court said.
ALSO READ: Delhi High Court stays trademark registration of Jack Daniel’s by Indian firm: Report
In addition to the injunction, the court directed Domain Name Registrar GoDaddy to take down the ‘PhonePey Loan’ website. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram were also ordered to remove posts infringing upon the PhonePe trademark.
During the hearing, Advocate Sidharth Chopra, representing PhonePe, argued that ‘PhonePey Loan’ was confusingly similar to the PhonePe brand. He further alleged that agents from AGF Finlease had misrepresented themselves as being from PhonePe’s loan department.
In defense, AGF Finlease’s counsel claimed they were using the name ‘PhonePey’ rather than ‘PhonePe.’ However, the court found this argument insufficient and proceeded to grant the injunction.
ALSO READ: Wow Momo cannot claim monopoly over the word ‘Wow’, says Delhi High Court
