Consultation on Draft Licensing Regulation on Homeopathic Medicinal Products
On 9 September 2021, the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency published the draft Licensing Regulation on Homeopathic Medicinal Products (Turkish language) (Draft Regulation). The purpose of this regulation is to regulate the procedures and principles to be applied in licensing, packaging and distributing homeopathic medicinal products, which have protective, supportive or curative effects on human health, to ensure their effectiveness, safety and quality. The Draft… »
Guidelines on Distribution of Free Drug Samples Amended
On 3 September 2021, the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency's (the Agency) amended Guidelines on the Distribution of Free Drug Samples within the Scope of the Regulation on Promotional Activities of Medicinal Products for Human Use (Guidelines) entered into force. The most important amendments concern the registration of the free promotional samples in the Product Tracking System. Pursuant to the Guidelines, the marketing authorisation holder is obliged to notify… »
Updated Examination Guideline in Turkey
The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office updated the Trademark Examination Guideline on 18 August 2021. Mutlu Yıldırım Köse reports. The previous Guideline defined the criteria regarding the examination of trade mark applications on absolute grounds within the scope of the Industrial Property Code (IP Code). The updated Guideline defines the criteria regarding the likelihood of confusion examination as per Article 6/1 of the IP Code. The main purpose of the Guideline is to… »
SAMSONITE v SAMS: Higher Board Issues Exemplary Decision on Similarity, Taking into Account Well-Known Status of Earlier Mark
Background On 19 November 2018 a Turkish company filed an application for the registration of the word mark SAMS in all classes (Classes 1 to 45). Following the publication of the application in the Official Trademarks Bulletin, the owner of the well-known SAMSONITE trademarks filed a partial opposition against the application based on a likelihood of confusion for some of the goods in Classes 6, 9 and 18. In its decision dated 1 October 2019, the Trademarks Department of the… »
The New Deadline for Registration to Data Controllers’ Registry Approaches!
In accordance with Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 and the Regulation on Data Controllers’ Registry (“Regulation”), data controllers shall get registered to the Data Controllers’ Registry (“VERBIS”). Deadlines for the registration obligation is announced by the Personal Data Protection Board (“Board”). Although the previous deadlines designated by the Board expired, in accordance with the Board’s decision dated 01.03.2021 and numbered 2021/238, a new deadline is set for… »
New Ways of Working in Turkey
Has the government introduced any laws and/or issued guidelines around remote-working arrangements? If so, what categories of worker do the laws and/or guidelines apply to – do they extend to “gig” workers and other independent contractors? Article 14 of the Turkish Labour Act (TLA) defines remote working as a contractual employment relationship in which employees carry out their duties from home or other locations outside the workplace, sometimes through digital platforms.… »
Comparing the Role of the DPO Under the GDPR and Turkish law
Appointment of a data privacy officer is regulated in detail under the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Mandatory DPO appointment is imposed under certain circumstances, and legal requirements are determined for the DPO role in terms of qualification as well as authorization. Under the Law on Protection of Personal Data numbered 6698 in Turkey, there is no legal requirement to appoint a DPO for data controllers, but there is a role introduced for the purposes of… »
Processing of Personal Data Related to COVID-19 Test Results and Vaccination-Infection Status of Employees
During the Covid-19 pandemic, when many companies provide opportunities to their employees to work remotely, hybrid working models are also being considered recently. For many purposes related to occupational health and safety, reduction of infection risks at workplaces and determination of new working conditions, the employers need to collect personal data of their employees such as their PCR/antibodies test results and information about whether they are vaccinated and had… »
Should the Lawyer Follow the Judge’s Misdirection?
Judges represent the state while exercising their judicial power on behalf of the nation. In this respect, it is the principle that the judge, who is expected to be independent first to the state and then to the parties, should be bound only by the rules of law. A thinker has said in this direction, “Judges are both masters and slaves of the law”. A lawyer, on the other hand, is self-employed, but also serves in the public sector as he/she participates in the distribution of… »
Declaration of Ultimate Beneficial Ownership in Turkey
In order to prevent tax evasion and ensure financial transparency, the Turkish Revenue Administration under the Ministry of Treasury and Finance issued General Communiqué No. 529 on Tax Procedure Law (the “Communiqué”) imposing an obligation to make ultimate beneficial ownership declaration on a wide range of entities, notably, corporate taxpayers. The Communiqué was published in the Official Gazette on July 13, 2021, and entered into force the same day. The deadline for… »
Higher Board Decides in Favour of UGG Based on Well-known Trademark Status and Principle of Interdependence
The Re-examination and Evaluation Board (the Higher Board) of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office has issued its decision in a case involving the marks UGG and UGG WATCH, applying the principle of interdependence and considering the well-known status of the UGG mark as a criterion for the likelihood of confusion analysis. Background The trademark application for UGG WATCH was filed for “jewellery (including imitation jewellery); gold, jewellery, precious stones and… »
COVID-19: Update on Precautions to be Taken in Clinical Research in 2021
On 20 March 2020, the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency published an announcement (Turkish language) titled "Precautions to be Taken in Clinical Research Due to COVID-19 Pandemic". This announcement was updated on 24 July 2020. On 19 July 2021, based on the normalisation process regarding COVID-19, the Agency published a further updated version of the announcement. According to the latest update, for initial applications for clinical research and applications… »