The Guidelines For The Implementation of The Regulation on Sales, Advertisement And Promotion of Medical Devices Has Been Updated
Following the adoption of the substantial amendments to the Regulation on Sales, Advertisement and Promotion of Medical Devices (“Regulation”) on 2 September 2020, the new Guidelines for the Implementation of the Regulation on Sales, Advertisement and Promotion of Medical Devices (“Guidelines”) has been published on the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency’s (“Agency”) website on 12 February 2021. The most crucial changes brought with the Guidelines are in relation to… »
Covid-19 Impact on Trademarks
Having affected the entire world, the Covid-19 pandemic also had an impact on trademark law as it has other areas of law. When considered in detail, we see that trademark law is affected in various aspects by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a matter of fact, when we look at the period during March, April, and May, when the pandemic just started, one of the most apparent examples of this impact is that the number of trademark applications throughout the Covid-19 period has risen… »
Sector Inquiry on Online Advertising Sector
The Competition Authority announced that the Competition Board decided to launch an inquiry related to the online advertising sector on 21.01.2021. As mentioned in the announcement, the online advertising sector has a complex supply chain which includes various services and actors. It has been emphasized that the market is in an intricate structure and develops rapidly. Similar to the global practice and having become subject to inquiries in some countries, the broadcasting… »
Broad Trademarks Registered Without Intention to Use
Filing trademarks on a broad list of goods and services without the intention to use is common practice in Turkey. Owners of such trademarks might have acted in bad faith at the time of filing, or could abuse their rights arising from such trademarks while enforcing them. To illustrate, owners of overly broad trademarks may request third parties to pay a high amount of monies to grant them letters of consent, to withdraw their opposition, or to engage in co-existence… »
The Effect of the Pandemic on Trademark Applications
2020 was a difficult year for businesses as humanity started to live through the first global disaster of the millennium, the Covid-19 pandemic. Just as the fluctuations in the economy and our changing work and lifestyles due to long months spent at homes destroyed our understanding of “normal.” As a result, business mentality, preferences and actions taken during the crisis have all changed. Although it is inevitable for trademark filings to be affected by these changes, the… »
Effects of Covid-19 on Brand Enforcement in Turkey
Turkey’s first official diagnosis of COVID-19 was announced on March 11, 2020. Since then, the country has experienced lockdowns, quarantines, travel bans and limited access to public services at various levels. There were months where the legal and administrative bodies’ effectiveness was inversely proportional with the curve of pandemic. Incidentally, brand enforcement activities were also heavily affected, especially during the second and third quarters of 2020. However… »