In Turkey, absolute grounds for refusal in trademark registration are regulated under Article 5 of the Industrial Property Code No 6769 (the IP Code). According to Article 5(1)(f) of the IP Code, signs that may mislead the public about matters such as the nature, quality or geographical origin of the goods or services are one of the absolute grounds for refusal, meaning that those signs shall not be registered as trademarks.
Background
In an opposition proceeding before the…
»
In recent years, the concept of “mystery boxes” or “surprise boxes” has become increasingly popular, taking a central place in the marketing strategies of many companies. While the element of surprise and intrigue offered by these products is highly appealing, it also raises various legal questions regarding whether the delivered items actually meet consumer expectations.
The Advertisement Board (“Board”), at its meeting dated September 11, 2025, placed on its agenda mystery…
»
Artificial intelligence influences every aspect of our lives and creates revolutionary effects in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in many other sectors. From DeepMind's AlphaGo success to Tempus' personalized approaches to cancer treatment, AI-enabled innovations offer not only scientific achievements, but also wide-ranging advantages such as operational efficiency, cost reduction and risk reduction. However, this technological leap also raises critical questions about…
»
Barely two years after its operational launch, the Unified Patent Court (“UPC”) has already begun shaping a transnational doctrine of patent infringement by equivalence. Between late 2024 and mid-2025, four landmark first-instance decisions — Plant-e v Bioo (The Hague LD), Brussels LD CFI 376/2023, Mannheim LD CFI 471/2023, and N.J. Diffusion v Gisela Mayer (Paris LD) — established, refined, and finally harmonised the analytical framework for assessing functional equivalence…
»
In light of the amendments made in the Regulation on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Monitoring of Transactions Affecting Foreign Exchange Positions by the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (“Regulation”)on 3 May 2025, the criteria for companies subject to reporting obligations have been revised along with the reporting periods. This development has created a need to re-evaluate the reporting obligation, its scope and other practical issues relating to the…
»
With the decision of the Personal Data Protection Board dated 04.09.2025 and numbered 2025/1572, which entered into force by being published in the Official Gazette on 01.10.2025, the scope of data controllers exempt from the obligation to register with the Data Controllers’ Registry (VERBİS) has been amended.
Previously, data controllers whose main activity involved processing special categories of personal data were subject to the VERBİS registration obligation. However…
»
