'Unauthorized use of logo': PhonePe warns Congress of legal action over posters of CM in Madhya Pradesh
The posters plastered by Congress in several states of Madhya Pradesh are similar to QR codes in shops accusing CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan of demanding a commission to get work done which also featured PhonePe’s brand name and logo.
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Bhopal, June 29: After posters by the Congress, accusing Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of corruption, emerged across Bhopal, digital payments company PhonePe has issued a stern warning which has objected to the use of its logo in the posters.
In the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are gearing up for their election machinery for the Assembly polls due later this year. Amid this, a poster war has broken out in the state. As part of the campaign, posters with pictures of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan were plastered by Congress in several parts of the state.
The posters, similar to QR codes in shops, accused the BJP veteran of demanding commission to get work done. The posters also featured PhonePe’s brand name and logo.
Pictures of the posters were shared by the state Congress unit on its Twitter handle. “Get 50 per cent, get the work done over the phone. The people of Madhya Pradesh know, they recognise those who take 50 per cent commission,” read the Twitter post in Hindi.
कटनी रेलवे स्टेशन पर शिवराज का भ्रष्टाचार
— MP Congress (@INCMP) June 26, 2023
50% लाओ, फ़ोन पे काम कराओ
मध्यप्रदेश की जनता जानती है,
50% कमीशनखोरों को पहचानती है। pic.twitter.com/N3vXwqtY4A
PhonePe on Monday reacted to the posters on Twitter, saying that its logo should be removed from the posters and that it “objected to the unauthorized use of its brand logo by any third party, whether political or non-political.”
"PhonePe objects to the unauthorized use of its brand logo by any third party, whether political or non-political. We are not affiliated with any political campaign or party. PhonePe logo is a registered trademark of our company. Any unauthorized use of Intellectual Property Rights of PhonePe will invite legal action. We humbly request @INCMP to remove the posters with our brand and logo," the company tweeted.
PhonePe objects to the unauthorized usage of its brand logo, by any third party, be it political or non-political. We are not associated with any political campaign or party.
— PhonePe (@PhonePe) June 26, 2023
The poster war in Madhya Pradesh is similar with that in the recently-concluded Karnataka elections. Ahead of the election in the southern state, the Congress ran a ‘PayCM’ poster campaign against the previous chief minister, Basavaraj Bommai.
