Apple, Facebook eye control of digital payments IP in India

Both firms have made several applications for patents pertaining to digital payments in the country

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Apple has submitted at least five applications with the Indian Patent office over the past one year for innovations related to digital payments as it looks at services as a way to boost sales of its iPhones in India.

Last week, social networking giant Facebook made a patent application for a digital wallet baked into an instant messaging services -- Messenger and WhatsApp presumably. The influx of patent applications comes at a time when India is pushing for electronic payments as a tool to bring in more people