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The Silent Crisis in Trademark Law: Inconsistencies in Actions for the Cancellation of Higher Board Decisions

Actions brought against decisions rendered by the Re-Examination and Evaluation Board (“Higher Board”) concerning trademark applications constitute an important part of Turkish trademark law practice. In practice, particularly in actions brought following the refusal of an opposition filed by the owner of an earlier trademark, it is common for plaintiffs to seek not only the cancellation of the Higher Board decision but also the invalidation of the trademark at issue if it is… »

New Pricing Communiqué Following the New Pricing Decision for Medicinal Products for Human Use: Increase of the Euro Conversion Rate to 65% of the Previous Year’s Average and Details of the Pricing Incentive for the First Equivalent/Generic Product

Presidential Decision No. 11031 dated 12 March 2026 (the “New Pricing Decision”) introduced significant changes to the pricing system for medicinal products for human use established under Decision No. 2017/9901 and subsequently amended on several occasions. The New Pricing Decision provided that the provisions of the existing Communiqué on the Pricing of Medicinal Products for Human Use that did not conflict with the New Pricing Decision would continue to apply until a new… »

New Restrictions on Alcohol Advertising: Is Alibi Branding Also Prohibited?

Law No. 7584, which was published in the Official Gazette on 20 June 2026 and entered into force on the same date, introduced significant amendments to the provisions of Law No. 4250 on the Monopoly of Spirits and Alcoholic Beverages concerning the advertising and promotion of alcoholic beverages and the use of brands. The new rules concern support provided by producers, importers and marketers in the alcoholic beverage sector to events, publications and posts; the use of… »

Evaluation of Bad Faith in Trademark Applications Under Turkish Trademark Law

Bad faith remains a recurring and complex issue in trademark law, particularly where applications are filed to obtain an unfair advantage, restrict competitors or otherwise misuse the trademark registration system. The assessment of bad faith under Turkish law has developed through legislation and case law, with the circumstances of each application playing a central role. In their article “Evaluation of Bad Faith in Trademark Applications Under Turkish Trademark Law,”… »

Latest Development Regarding Medicinal Product Names – Guideline Regarding the Naming of Medicinal Products for Human Use Has Been Published

The “Guideline Regarding the Naming of Human Medicinal Products” (“Guideline”) was published with an announcement dated 31 July 2026 on the official website of the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (“Agency”). According to the information provided in the announcement, the Guideline aims to provide guidance on matters to be taken into account when determining names for medicinal products for human use and outlines the procedures and principles governing the process… »

Constitutional Court Finds Data Protection Board’s Administrative Fine Contrary to the Principle of Legality

The Constitutional Court, in its decision dated 27.01.2026 and numbered 2020/32193, published in the Official Gazette dated 16.06.2026, determined that the administrative fine imposed by the Personal Data Protection Board (the “Board”) on a data controller on grounds that the concept of the ‘purpose for which the data was made public’ is not regulated under the law and administrative fine imposed based on the relevant concept violates the principle of legality of offences and… »

Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2027 in Türkiye

Legislation Treaties Is your country party to any bilateral or multilateral treaties for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments? What is the country’s approach to entering into these treaties, and what, if any, amendments or reservations has your country made to such treaties? Except for those concerning family law, Türkiye is not a signatory to multilateral treaties for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. However, Türkiye… »

Rights Holders not Liable for Customs Storage of Criminally Seized Counterfeits

A final Turkish judgment has held that a trademark owner cannot be charged storage fees arising from the custody of counterfeit goods after they have been seized in criminal proceedings. Significantly, the court found that the trademark owner was the victim of the infringement and that the proper addressee of the storage fees was the owner of the counterfeit goods. Background The dispute concerned 264,740 units of counterfeit Colgate toothpaste weighing approximately 27.7… »

Strong Stance Against Trade Mark Squatting in Türkiye

Trade mark squatting has unfortunately become increasingly common in Türkiye in recent years. Bad-faith applicants often identify trade marks that are registered and genuinely used abroad but have not yet been registered in Türkiye, file applications for those marks in their own names and then attempt to sell the registrations or present themselves as the rightful proprietors of the trade marks. In another common scenario, bad-faith applicants use the registrations they have… »

Bolar Beyond Regulatory Preparation: EU Pharma Package, Türkiye’s Experience, and TRIPS Compliance

The Bolar exemption was originally conceived as a limited mechanism enabling generic and biosimilar manufacturers to complete the regulatory steps necessary to enter the market immediately after patent expiry. The EU Pharma Package now seeks to broaden the exemption substantially, both in terms of the activities covered and the parties entitled to rely on it. This development invites a re-examination of Turkiye’s long-standing – and already notably broad – interpretation of… »

Constitutional Court Annuls the Regime Governing the Exclusion of Shareholders in Two-Shareholder Limited Liability Companies

With its decision published in the Official Gazette on 17 March 2026, the Constitutional Court brought renewed attention to a significant issue that had long been overlooked in relation to limited liability companies. The Constitutional Court held that requiring a general assembly majority for the exclusion of a shareholder in two-shareholder limited liability companies creates a practical deadlock. Accordingly, the Court annulled, in respect of two-shareholder limited… »

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