If the allegations and charges are found to be true then there could be a stay against the use of the trademark and Paytm might have to pay hefty damages as per the trademark registration laws of the country. (Reuters image)

Digital payment and e-commerce platform Paytm has been going through rough times. Global digital payments company PayPal has accused the Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s company, which has been reaping a windfall from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation drive, of trademark infringement, according to media reports. The California-based international payment gateway has reportedly filed a case in this regard in the trademark office in India alleging that Paytm has copied its logo that the company has claimed to be using since 2007. If the allegations and charges are found to be true then there could be a stay against the use of the trademark and Paytm might have to pay hefty damages as per the trademark registration laws of the country. Paytm on Friday claimed that 48 customers have cheated the company to the tune of over Rs 6.15 lakh. According to a PTI report, CBI has registered a case in this regard and a probe is on. According to a report, Paytm’s revenues have risen by nearly 200% but losses have increased fourfold.

The complaint from the Manager Legal, M Sivakumar, claimed that the company makes payment for defective products received by a customer and also arranges a reverse pickup of the damaged product which is sent to the merchant. The process is done by a team of customer care executives who have been assigned specific IDs and passwords to handle such complaints from the customers and arrange refund and pickup. It is alleged that the company found that in 48 cases customers had received refunds even though the delivery of orders was made successfully to them. “As a matter of facts wherein delivery of orders were successful and satisfactory to the customer, refund should not happen. However, in all these 48 cases refund of order amount happened to the respective customers to the tune of Rs 6.15 lakh,” the complaint, which is now part of the FIR, alleged. It alleged that customers “illegally” appropriated money refunded in their bank accounts and wallets. It claimed that the acts reflects “serious” fraudulent act and foul play with common intention to wrongfully gain along with such involved customers.

Soon after a political blamegame erupted over issue. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday took shots at the PM as he said that the Narendra Modi government was in Paytm’s pockets. Kejriwal was speaking about reports where it was stated that the Central Bureau of Investigation had lodged FIRs against the 48 customers PayTM had accused of cheating the company of over Rs 6.15 lakh. Kejriwal was retweeting journalist Rohini Singh, who had asked as to why CBI was taking the case when Paytm was not a government firm. Kejriwal said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself was in the advertisements for Paytm. Kejriwal further said that the CBI would not dare to not take orders from Paytm.