Recently, the Telegram informed the Madras High Court that it would swiftly take down any accounts impersonating the fintech app PhonePe on its platform upon receiving a formal request from PhonePe.

The submission was presented before Justice K Kumaresh Babu, who was hearing PhonePe's application for an interim injunction. PhonePe sought this relief to prevent various entities linked to Telegram—including its directors, agents, employees, and any anonymous users on the platform—from infringing on its registered trademarks.

The fintech company alleged that certain APKs and mobile applications were using deceptive marks resembling its own, thereby violating its intellectual property rights.

The application was filed as part of PhonePe's lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction to prevent further trademark infringements, targeting a wide range of potential violators, including users of the platform and any representatives acting on behalf of the messaging app.

In court, Telegram's counsel acknowledged the challenges of preemptively blocking infringing content at the initial stage. However, they assured that any identified infringing content would be removed immediately upon notification. PhonePe’s counsel added that they would promptly inform Telegram via email whenever they detect such infringing posts.

In response, Telegram’s counsel committed to promptly removing or blocking any infringing posts as soon as an email notification is received from PhonePe.

Acknowledging these submissions, the single-judge bench further directed Telegram to provide the IP address, URL, and channel details associated with each blocking request. Following a request from PhonePe’s counsel, the court scheduled the matter for a subsequent hearing in two weeks.