The primary legislation governing the protection of personal data in Türkiye is the Personal Data Protection Act No. 6698 (the “Law”), which came into force in 2016.
The Law, which was drafted on the basis of the European Council’s Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, is influenced by the provisions of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”), whilst its implementation is influenced by both the GDPR and the decisions of European data protection…
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The Personal Data Protection Authority (the “Authority”) has issued guidelines and publications principle decisions and public announcements, with the efforts to raise awareness and enhance effectiveness in the field of personal data protection for the effective implementation of the Personal Data Protection Act No. 6698 (the “Law”), and we have seen significant developments regarding the proper handling of intersections with areas such as competition, cyber security…
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The Regulation Amending the Regulation on Commercial Advertisement and Unfair Commercial Practices was published in the Official Gazette dated July 1, 2026. This regulation introduces significant changes in many current areas, such as targeted advertisements, advertising created using artificial intelligence, advertisements by social media influencers, environmental claims, sales with discounts, and consumer reviews.
Key amendments
A new Article 25/A titled "Targeted…
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The use of biometric recognition systems has become widespread in recent years across a wide range of sectors, from workplaces to gyms, and from public institutions to digital services. Technologies such as fingerprint recognition, facial recognition and iris scanning are used for purposes such as identity verification, access control and time and attendance tracking. However, the fact that biometric data is unique to the individual, immutable and, in the event of a breach…
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The patentability of second medical use claims is explicitly regulated under EPC 54(5) with the amendments made to the European Patent Convention (“EPC”) in 2000, which entered into force on 13 December 2007. In Türkiye, although there is no explicit provision on this issue in the Industrial Property Code no. 6769, the discussions regarding the patentability of these claims have ended with the decision of the General Assembly of the Court of Appeal dated October 21, 2021[1].…
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With the development of digital advertising, infringements of trademark rights are no longer limited to visible forms of use such as product packaging, signs, catalogues, or website content. The possibility of using competitors’ trademarks as keywords, redirecting codes, search terms, or similar advertising parameters within the Google Ads system, which directs consumers’ access to certain brands and products/services in Google searches, gives rise to disputes lying at the…
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With the digitalisation of commerce, digital fonts are no longer just an element of design; they have become an integral part of brand identity and commercial communication. It is now possible for original digital fonts to enjoy protection under copyright and design law, as explained in our article, https://gun.av.tr/tr/goruslerimiz/guncel-yazilar/dijital-yazi-tiplerinin-telif-ve-tasarim-hukuku-bakimindan-korunmasi. In addition to copyright and design law, digital fonts may…
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As digital technologies continue to transform the publishing industry, the debate on copyright in online use is intensifying at an unprecedented pace. In particular, the integration of artificial intelligence (“AI”)-driven systems into content creation and dissemination processes is reshaping the balance between publishers and digital platforms. Against this backdrop, it is clear that the regulatory framework established under the 2019 European Union (EU) Directive on…
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As emphasized in our recent article[1] on publishing rights in online use, the transformative impact of digitalization on the media and publishing sector has necessitated fundamental changes in copyright law. Within this framework, the Draft Law on Digital Copyright (“Draft”), which aims to protect copyrights in digital media, was submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 11 December 2025 and is currently under review by the relevant commission.
The Draft has been…
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Artificial intelligence technologies have begun to be used by almost everyone and have increasingly become an integral part of daily life. With the widespread adoption of these technologies, which are capable of generating new outputs by processing inputs such as text, images and other forms of data, the question of whether outputs created by artificial intelligence models qualify as “works” and whether they infringe third parties’ copyright has continued to be intensely…
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Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş and Uğur Erkırlı have contributed to Startup Legal Playbook - Fourth Edition 2026, which is published by ITechLaw.
Startup Legal Playbook: A Quick Reference Guide to International Market Entry for Startups (and Their Lawyers) provides startup founders and lawyers with a practical, quick-reference guide to key legal issues startups may face when entering foreign jurisdictions. The Fourth Edition was created to help readers triage important local…
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Recent reports in the Turkish press claiming that Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Fenerbahçe footballer Kerem Aktürkoğlu for using the nickname “Harry Potter” on the pitch and in social media content, as well as for performing a goal celebration allegedly referring to the fictional universe created by J.K. Rowling, have once again brought to the forefront the intersection between intellectual property law, popular culture, and sports. These developments have reopened…
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