Trademark Attorney in Turkey: When the Law Requires One and How to Choose
A Turkish trademark attorney (marka vekili) is a professional entered on the official register kept by TURKPATENT under Law No. 5000, authorised to re…
Read moreBlog & Articles
Plain-English analyses of Turkish trademark, design and intellectual-property court decisions.
Someone Registered My Trademark in Turkey: How Foreign Brand Owners Get It Back
Turkey is a first-to-file country, so a distributor, importer or a complete stranger can register your brand before you do. Opposition, bad-faith inva…
Read more
Prior Use Trumps Registration: Both Claims Dismissed, Plaintiff Ordered to Pay TRY 524,697 in Legal Fees | Istanbul 1st IP Court 2026/153
After a Yargıtay reversal, the retrial court found that the defendant held prior use rights predating the plaintiff's trademark registration. Both the…
Read more
Instagram Posts as Evidence: Trademark Infringement Proven Through Court-Ordered Inspection | Istanbul Anadolu 1st IP Court 2026/150
A trademark holder identified counterfeit product sales on the defendant's Instagram account and obtained a court-ordered pre-action evidence inspecti…
Read more
Five-Year Design Infringement Case in Fashion: Registered Design Rights Upheld | Istanbul 2nd IP Court 2026/148
A registered industrial design holder in Turkey's eveningwear fashion sector won its infringement case after five years of litigation: the court found…
Read more
Trademark Infringement at Customs: 600 Counterfeit Keychains Seized | Istanbul 1st IP Court 2026/168
A trademark holder obtained a customs stoppage order, triggering the seizure of 600 counterfeit branded keychains at customs. Parallel criminal procee…
Read more
Software Copyright Damages Claim Settled After Unlicensed Use Confirmed by Court Expert | Ankara 1st IP Court 2025/66
A copyright damages claim under FSEK Art. 68 against defendants found to be running cracked engineering software on two computers for commercial purpo…
Read more
"Coexistence" Doctrine Inapplicable Where Parties Have Opposed Each Other's Applications | Ankara 1st IP Court 2025/72
Following a second Yargıtay reversal, the court declared a competing trademark invalid: the co-existence doctrine could not apply because both parties…
Read more
Unfair Competition Claim Belongs in Commercial Court, Not IP Court | Ankara 1st IP Court 2025/119
An unfair competition and damages claim concerning an SMS notification service was transferred to the Commercial Court because the plaintiff's case wa…
Read more
Trademark Infringement Settled: TRY 145,000 in Damages and TRY 200,000 Penalty Clause | Ankara 1st IP Court 2025/141
A trademark infringement action was resolved by settlement: the defendant paid TRY 145,000, abandoned the infringing sign, and undertook a TRY 200,000…
Read more
Competent Court in Trademark Invalidity Actions: Defendant's Domicile Rules | Ankara 1st IP Court 2025/230
In Turkish trademark invalidity proceedings, the competent court is the IP court at the defendant's domicile, not the plaintiff's. Ankara 1st IP Court…
Read more
How to Register a Trademark in Turkey? 2026 Complete Guide
Step-by-step guide to trademark registration in Turkey in 2026: application process, TÜRKPATENT fees, Nice class selection, and why you need a tradema…
Read more
What Is Proof of Use? What You Need to Know to Protect Your Trademark
Trademarks that are not used within 5 years of registration face the risk of cancellation. What is proof of use, what documents are accepted, and how …
Read more
What Is Priority Right (Right of Priority)? Its Importance in Trademark Applications
The right of priority allows a trademark applicant to use their first filing date as the priority date in other countries within 6 months. This articl…
Read more
Trademark Infringement Damages: How Much Compensation Can You Claim?
When your trademark is used without permission, you can claim both material and moral damages. This article explains how trademark infringement compen…
Read more
Company Defeats Cancellation Claim by Proving Years of Perfume Trademark Use
The Bakırköy 1st IP Court dismissed a non-use cancellation claim after finding that the defendant had made genuine and continuous use of its trademark…
Read more
Court Orders Seizure of Counterfeit Sports Club Merchandise: "I Didn't Know" Defense Fails
The Bakırköy 1st IP Court rejected the retailer's claim of ignorance and ordered the seizure of counterfeit T-shirts bearing a major sports club's reg…
Read more
Board Game Copycat Runs Into Copyright Law: Court Orders Destruction of Infringing Products
The Bakırköy 1st IP Court ruled that a strategy board game qualifies as a protected work under Article 2/1 of the Turkish Copyright Act (FSEK), orderi…
Read more
Using Someone Else's Trademark Online Led to TRY 110,000 Damages Award
The Bakırköy 1st IP Court found that a company's unauthorized use of a competitor's trademark on its website for door and baseboard products constitut…
Read more
Business Transfer Without Explicit Trademark Assignment: Infringement Claim Dismissed | Final
Bakırköy 1st IP Court dismissed a trademark infringement claim filed on the basis that a business-transfer agreement did not expressly assign the trad…
Read more
Similar Trademark Sign in Shopping Mall: Dismissed on Different Classes and 30-Year Coexistence
Bakırköy 1st IP Court dismissed a trademark infringement action (filed in 2017, remanded in 2023) finding that a kitchenware retailer's use of a simil…
Read more
TRY 110,000 Damages for Unauthorized Use of Trademark Online: Net-Profit Method Under SMK
Bakırköy 1st IP Court found that a defendant who used a registered trademark sign on its website without authorisation infringed trademark rights. Fro…
Read more
Similar Sign, Different Mark: Trademark Infringement Claim by GSM Operator Dismissed
Bakırköy 1st IP Court dismissed a trademark infringement claim brought by a major Turkish GSM operator, finding that the defendant's shop sign was not…
Read more
Copying a Registered Fabric Design: Trademark Infringement, Not Unfair Competition | Final
Bakırköy 1st IP Court ruled that a defendant who prepared fabric samples closely resembling a registered textile design infringed the design right und…
Read more
Entertainment Venue Signage Constitutes Trademark Infringement: 130686 TRY in Damages Awarded
Large-font signage at a shopping centre entrance infringed a competitor's trademark. The court rejected the defendant's honest-use and concept defence…
Read more
No Monopoly Over Geographical Terms: Trademark Infringement Claim Dismissed in Fashion Sector
A trademark based on a geographical place name cannot block all third-party uses. The court held that the defendant's use of the term as a product mod…
Read more
26-Year-Old Brand's Designs Invalidated: Novelty and Individual Character Requirements Not Met
The registered industrial designs of a well-known bathroom furniture brand were invalidated after the defendant proved that similar visuals had been p…
Read more
One Day Earlier Wins: Filing Date Priority and Proof of Genuine Ownership in Trademark Law
Two competitors in the hearing aid sector filed for the same trademark one day apart. The court rejected the invalidation claim by evaluating filing p…
Read more
Withdrawn Trademark Cannot Escape Infringement Liability: Court Awards 150000 TRY in Damages
Defendants who withdrew their trademark during proceedings could not escape infringement liability. The court ruled that using similar marks in the sa…
Read more
Serial Registration of Famous Mark Identical Sign: Bad Faith and Full Invalidation
Bakırköy 1st IP Court invalidated four trademarks in classes 20 and 24 using the same sign as a well-known trademark, finding bad faith under Article …
Read more
Domain Name as Trademark Infringement: Access Blocked, Damages Awarded | Final
Bakırköy 1st IP Court found that a domain name virtually identical to the plaintiff's registered trademark constituted infringement, ordered access bl…
Read more
Scope of Protection Decisive in Utility Model Infringement: Safety Lock Case
Bakırköy 1st IP Court dismissed a utility model infringement claim for a safety lock, finding the defendant's product outside both literal and equival…
Read more
Celebrity Name Registered as Trademark: Bad Faith and Full Invalidation
Bakırköy 1st IP Court invalidated trademarks registered using a well-known artist's name, finding bad-faith stockpiling and extortion intent under Art…
Read more
Selling Online Game Cheats: Not Copyright Infringement, But Unfair Competition
Bakırköy 1st IP Court ruled that selling cheat plugins for an online game neither infringes trademark rights nor copyright, but constitutes unfair com…
Read more
Well-Known Trademark Protection in Turkey: Conditions, Scope and Legal Consequences
What is a well-known trademark in Turkey? Learn the legal conditions under SMK Article 6/4 and the Paris Convention, how cross-class protection works,…
Read more
Trademark Registration in Turkey: A Complete Guide for US Businesses
Planning to sell in Turkey or protect your brand there? Learn how US companies can register a trademark in Turkey through TÜRKPATENT or the Madrid Pro…
Read more
Invalidity Action Filed Six Years After Registration Barred by Limitation Period; Non-Use Cancellation Partially Granted
A media and publishing company sought both invalidation and non-use cancellation of a competitor's trademark. The court dismissed the invalidity claim…
Read more
Expert Said Invalidate, Court Said Dismiss: Likelihood of Confusion Is a Legal Question for the Judge
An internationally recognized textile brand sued a competitor over its 'TST' trademark, seeking invalidation on grounds of similarity and bad faith. D…
Read more
One Counterfeit Cookie Triggers Trademark Lawsuit: "We Didn't Know" and "A Customer Left It" Defenses Both Rejected
During an on-site trademark inspection at a pastry shop, only a single cookie was found bearing a famous sports club's registered mark. The defendant …
Read more
"I Bought It from a Wholesaler" Defense Fails: 25 Counterfeit Sports Jerseys Found to Infringe Trademark
A retailer caught selling 25 counterfeit children's jerseys bearing a major sports club's registered trademark argued that the goods were purchased fr…
Read more
Glass Sector Competitor's Two Trademarks Invalidated for Likelihood of Confusion
A glass manufacturer holding earlier trademark registrations sought invalidation of a competitor's later-filed marks. The court found the marks confus…
Read more
Suing for Trademark Infringement After 10+ Years of Silence: How 'Acquiescence' Ended the Case
A registered owner sued a neighbouring business that had used the same name for over ten years. The court treated the late action as an abuse of right…
Read more
Selling Counterfeit Socks in a Shop: Does 'I Didn't Know It Was Illegal' Work as a Defense?
A shopkeeper selling counterfeit socks of a well-known brand argued he 'didn't know' — the court rejected it. Since bad faith is not required for trad…
Read more
Can Generic Phrases Like '24/7' Give You a Trademark Monopoly? Court Finds No Confusion
Because the phrase common to the marks was a secondary element used by everyone in the sector, the Court of Cassation reversed the decision, holding t…
Read more
Suing the Wrong Party in a Trademark Cancellation Case: The 'Wrong Defendant' Trap
The claimant sued the company using the contested mark, but the mark was registered in the name of a different individual. The court dismissed the cas…
Read more
A Rival Registered Your Long-Used Design and Sent a Cease Notice? Court Cancels the Bad-Faith Design
A company that registered a long-used fabric pattern under its own name and then sent a cease notice to the genuine user lost its design: the court fo…
Read more
No Registration, Still Protected: ₺138,000 in Damages for Copying an Unregistered Design
The court protected a company's unregistered garment designs that it had first disclosed to the public, ordering the copycat to pay ₺88,731 material a…
Read more
13,488 Counterfeit Goods Seized at Customs and Destroyed: Protecting Trademarks at the Border
13,488 counterfeit eyeliners stopped at customs were ruled trademark-infringing and ordered destroyed after the registered owner sued. The decision sh…
Read more
A Similar Name Is Not Always Trademark Infringement: Court Finds 'No Likelihood of Confusion'
Because the two marks differed in their opening elements and overall impression, the court held there was no likelihood of confusion and dismissed the…
Read more
Can a Rival Lock Your Product on E-Commerce? Court Cancels a Bad-Faith Design Registration
A seller registered a long-public product as its own design and used it to freeze a competitor's e-commerce listings. The court found the design lacke…
Read more
Counterfeit Trademark Use Cost ₺418,000 in Damages: How Turkish Courts Protect Well-Known Marks
A Turkish IP court ruled that unauthorized use of a registered, well-known trademark is infringement and awarded ₺318,659 in material plus ₺100,000 in…
Read more
ELCİ | 2026 All Rights Reserved ©