Terms of Termination Prohibition, Unilateral Unpaid Leave and Short-Time Working Allowance Have Been Extended Again
Introduction Extension of termination prohibition and unilateral unpaid leave Extension of short-time working allowance Introduction Shortly after the publication of Law 7252 on the Establishment of Digital Platforms Commission and Amendment of Certain Laws in the Official Gazette (Number 31199, dated 28 July 2020), two presidential decrees (Numbers 2810 and 2811) were published in the Official Gazette (Number 31202) on 31 July 2020extending the termination prohibition… »
Impacts of COVID-19 on Patent Law
1. Will there be any loss of rights due to the failure to file patent applications or to make other transactions on time because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Pursuant to provisional article 1 of The Law on Amendment of Certain Laws No. 7226 (“Law No. 7226”), which enacted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (“Assembly”) on 25 March 2020, any and all terms in scope of the acquisition, use or extinction of a right, including the terms for filing lawsuits, enforcement… »
COVID-19’s Impacts on the Judiciary
This Q&A was written in scope of the legal provisions introduced as of 13 March 2020 to combat COVID-19, after the first COVID-19 case in Turkey was announced on 11 March 2020. The restrictions included in the Q&A have been removed as of 15 June 2020. However, considering the highly increasing number of patients as of September 2020, and the fact that certain enforcement offices have been shut down due to COVID-19, we are of the opinion that several measures may be… »
COVID-19’s Impacts on Employment
1. What are the measures to be taken by the employer at the workplace during the COVID-19 outbreak? Under the duty to protect the employee, the employer is obliged to take occupational health and safety measures and to protect the employee’s health, physical and mental integrity. Also as per the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the employer is obliged to ensure the occupational health and safety of the employees. In this scope, it is advised that the employer (if exists… »
COVID-19’s Impacts on Trademark Prosecution
1. Within the context of the measures taken for combating COVID-19, how will Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT) function?TURKPATENT is open and active. In order to keep the number of physically working personnel of TURKPATENT at minimum, flexible working methods such as remote or shift working will continue to be implemented. However, as TURKPATENT is a paperless office and has a functional e-filing system, the services of TURKPATENT are not interrupted in this… »
What Are the Recent Decisions and Announcements Made by Government Health Institutions?
The outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), which has been declared as pandemic by the World Health Organization, has led to widespread measures being taken around the world. The coronavirus, first seen in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has been detected in almost 28 Million cases in 215 countries as of today, creating a global crisis with a death toll of over 900.000. The number of cases and deaths started to rise rapidly after the announcement of the first case detection in… »
COVID-19: Update on Clinical Research Precautions
Dicle Doğan and Fatma Sevde Tan, Gun + Partners On 25 July 2020, the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency published an update to its announcement titled Precautions to be taken in Clinical Research due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Turkish language) that was originally published on 20 March 2020. The update reflects feedback collected from the industry. The updated announcement states the following: Applications to conduct online meetings between research personnel… »
District Court Upholds Foreign Mark Owner’s Opposition Based on ‘Genuine Right Ownership’ Ground
Cummins Inc opposed the registration of the mark GENUINE PARTS on the ground of ‘genuine right ownership’ The District Court ruled that Cummins had genuine rights in the mark due to its registrations in the European Union and the United States As the applicant and Cummins operated in the same field of business, the application had been filed in bad faith Background The principle of ‘genuine right ownership’, which is regulated by Article 6/3 of the Turkish Intellectual… »
Amendments to the Law No: 5651 Concerning Social Media
The law amending the Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Internet Broadcasts and Prevention of Crimes Committed through Such Broadcasts (the “Law No: 5651”) was accepted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on July 29, 2020 and published in the Official Gazette on 31 July 2020. These amendments, which have been on the agenda for a long time and known as social media regulations, bring fundamental changes. New provisions have been added to the Law No. 5651. Essentially… »
COVID-19: Declarations of Conformity for Medical Devices Valid Only if Issued by Manufacturers
Dicle Doğan and Fatma Sevde Tan, Gun + Partners On 1 July 2020, the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency published an announcement (Turkish language) stating that declarations of conformity for medical devices issued by organisations other than manufacturers have no validity. Declarations of conformity can only be issued by manufacturers. Products classified under the Turkish Medical Devices Regulation as Class I (non-sterile and non-measuring) products and under the… »
Turkish Court of Appeal Considers Mandatory Mediation Requirement in Disputes Containing Both Monetary and Nonmonetary Claims
Mediation became mandatory for monetary-related commercial disputes from 1 January 2019, but the practical impact of this change had remained unclear Based on a recent Court of Appeal decision, it appears that monetary and non-monetary claims can be filed together without going through mandatory mediation This decision is significant in view of the high number of IP-related cases that include both types of claim Background Mediation became mandatory for monetary-related… »
How Did COVID-19 Impact Employers in Turkey?
Closures Certain sectors were temporarily closed, by administrative order, ceasing all business operations. Those businesses that remained open introduced several workplace practices in order to minimise the risk of transmission, in line with their occupational health and safety obligations, which have been heightened in current circumstances. Governmental facilities granted to employers The Governmental authorities provided a prohibition on the termination of employment for… »