BEST BUY Recognized as Well Known
The Ankara Court of Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights has reversed a decision of the Turkish Patent Institute (TPI) in which the latter had refused to register the trademark BEST BUY on absolute grounds (Case 2007/227, Decree 2008/82, March 27 2008). Best Buy Enterprise Services Inc, a US company engaged in the business of selling consumer electronics, applied for the registration of the trademark BEST BUY (and design) with the TPI for services in Class 35 of the… »
International Arbitration in Turkey
1) ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS1.1 What, if any, are the legal requirements of an arbitration agreement under the laws of your country?The legislation governing arbitration proceedings in Turkey, is the “Civil Procedure Act No. 1086″ for domestic arbitration and the “International Arbitration Act No. 4686″ for international arbitration proceedings.In order for an arbitration agreement to be valid:- It must be enacted relating to an arbitrable matter (disputes relating to rights in… »
Debate on Time Limits in Cancellation Actions Put to an End
The General Assembly of the Court of Appeals has put an end to the debate as to the interpretation of the expression ‘date of registration’ in Articles 14 and 42 of the Trademark Law 556 (Case 2007/11-974-2007/962, December 12 2007). Çenay Feyzioglu filed an action for the cancellation of Çetin Çakir’s trademark BIO COS (and design) or the removal of the design from the trademark based on the earlier registered trademark LOTUS (and design). Feyzioglu had also filed an action… »
Apple Seeks Recognition of IPOD as Well Known Following Landmark Decision
Following a decision by the Re-examination and Evaluation Board of the Turkish Patent Institute (TPI) in opposition proceedings, Apple Inc has filed an application for the official recordal of IPOD as a well-known mark in the official registry. The board had rejected Turkish company Tunc Tekstil’s application for the registration of the trademark IPOD for goods in Classes 25 and 35 of the Nice Classification on the grounds that the well-known status of Apple’s IPOD trademark… »
Landmark Decision on Time Limits in Trademark Cancellation Actions
In a landmark decision (Case 2006/367- 2007/257, November 9 2007), the Istanbul Civil IP Court of First Instance ruled on the issue of time limits in trademark cancellation actions. On May 23 2000 the defendant, a local company, registered the trademark ICE BOYS for goods in Class 25. In September 2005 Gilmar SpA filed an action for cancellation of the trademark on the grounds that it was confusingly similar to its earlier registered trademarks ICE and ICEBERG. The defendant… »
IP Enforcement Must Shape Up, According to EU Progress Report
The European Commission has published its Progress Report on Turkey’s preparations for accession to the European Union. The Progress Report covers the period from October 2006 to October 2007 and focuses on economic, political and social issues. Section 4 of the report deals with Turkey’s ability to assume the obligations of membership, as expressed in the EU Treaties, secondary legislation and EU policies. Chapter 7 of this section deals with IP law, and particularly… »