HC orders social media platforms to ban accounts misusing Razorpay's name

Omnichannel payments company Razorpay on Monday said it had secured an order from the Delhi High Court mandating social media platforms to suspend accounts infringing the firm’s trademarks and conducting fraudulent activities.

The Bengaluru-based company said it had received a John Doe order from the high court mandating platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram to suspend fraudulent accounts after it filed a lawsuit against unknown individuals misrepresenting themselves as recruiters from the company.

These individuals offered part-time jobs for extra income against deposits and other false promises, the company said in a statement.

A John Doe order is a type of legal order allowing an entity to take legal action against unknown parties.

“This legal order reaffirms our commitment to transparency, accountability, and trust in our services as the Razorpay brand. We remain steadfast in our resolve to take decisive legal action against any misuse of our brand to protect our customers' interests and maintain their trust in the brand Razorpay,” Shivli Katyayan, head of legal, Razorpay.

The Delhi High Court’s order includes measures such as suspension of access to domain names operated by unknown entities involved in these scams.

“WhatsApp is required to provide basic subscriber information related to the accounts that are to be blocked. Further, both WhatsApp and Telegram are directed to block channels or accounts operated by the violators,” the company added.

Banks are directed to freeze or suspend operations of fraudsters’ bank accounts, and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is directed to suspend Unified Payments Interface (UPI) IDs involved in such scams.

“The favourable order from the court prohibits unauthorised use of the 'Razorpay' trademark, thereby helping to prevent fraud against the general public, including financial scams. Razorpay has also placed a disclaimer on its website to caution the public against such frauds,” the Bengaluru-based company added.