Insights
Personal Data Protection in Turkiye and Worldwide in Light of TikTok Decisions: Children's Data and Cross-Border Data Transfer
Personal data protection has become a critical area that has rapidly gained importance both in Türkiye and worldwide in recent years. With the impact of digitalization, individuals generate increasing amounts of personal data in their daily lives, which in turn raises societal sensitivity regarding data security and privacy awareness. In this context, regulatory authorities are tightening oversight of data processing activities; particularly, technology companies are… »
Works on Artificial Intelligence in Türkiye : Summary of the Activities of the AI Commission
The Parliamentary Research Commission on Determining the Steps to Be Taken to Maximize the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence, Establishing the Legal Infrastructure in This Field, and Identifying Measures to Prevent the Risks Associated with the Use of Artificial Intelligence (“Commission”) was officially established on January 14, 2025, and effectively concluded its mandate with its final meeting on May 13, 2025. During its term of activity, the Commission addressed not… »
Strategic Battlefield in Combating Counterfeiters: Turkish Riviera, West and South Coast of Türkiye
With a coastline of almost 9,000 kilometers and over 550 blue flag beaches, Türkiye welcomes millions of domestic and foreign tourists during the summer season each year. The most popular area for summer vacations is known as the Turkish Riviera, comprising the cities of Antalya and Muğla in particular, and also some parts of Aydın and Izmir, encompassing the main districts of Alanya, Antalya, Kemer, Fethiye, Marmaris, Bodrum, Kuşadası and Çeşme from the south to the west… »
Recommendations by the Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority on the Protection of Personal Data in the Field of Artificial Intelligence
With the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies, the emergence of new risks—particularly in relation to the protection of personal data—has increased the need for concrete guidance for developers, manufacturers, and service providers in this field. Due to the current gaps in legislation, relevant public institutions and authorities have been publishing various proposals, decisions, and recommendations on the subject. The Personal Data Protection Authority… »
The Personal Data Protection Board Issued a Principle Decision on the Processing of Personal Data Through SMS Verification Codes Sent to Customers Almost by Force During the Provision of Products and Services in Stores
In recent years, it has become increasingly common for stores to request contact information from individuals during purchases and/or to obtain their explicit consent by sending a verification code via SMS, after which commercial electronic messages are sent to the provided contact details for advertising purposes. Due to the growing number of complaints from consumers and the widespread nature of this practice, the Personal Data Protection Board (“Board”) issued a Board… »
Updates
Courts grant broad protection to weak trademark
The Turkish courts have ruled in favour of the owner of a mark consisting of a very common expression The courts found that, even though ‘İyi Yaşam’ is a common expression, the plaintiff’s intensive use strengthened the distinctiveness of the mark Arguably, such outcome is not in line with previous Court of Cassation decisions In a recent decision, the Court of Cassation has favoured the registrant of a weaklydistinctive sign in the similarity examination by ignoring the… »
Notification Obligation in Case of Supply Interruption of Medical Devices
The Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (the “Agency”) has announced new notification obligations for economic operators in the event of an interruption or discontinuation (termination) of the supply of medical devices. This regulation was developed in line with the Medical Devices Regulation and the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation, which were enacted as part of the European Union (“EU”) harmonization process and was published on May 21… »
Turkish Court of Cassation’s Assessment of Organic Connection in the Liability of Legal Entities for Employment Receivables
In its recent decisions[1], the Turkish Court of Cassation conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the organic connection when determining whether the legal entities named as defendants in the case are jointly and severally liable for the employment receivables. In this context, taking into account the definition of organic connection provided in the case law of the Court of Cassation[2] and that of the General Assembly of Civil Chambers of the Court of Cassation, actors such… »
Use of Personal Data in Marketing and the Approach of the Advertising Board
The Advertising Board (“Board”) works to raise awareness about targeted advertising and deceptive commercial design practices, monitor international regulations and applications related to digital advertising and the use of personal data, and take necessary measures against current or potential violations. In this regard, the Board cooperates with the Personal Data Protection Authority. The Board also strictly supervises advertisements and commercial practices involving the… »
What will be the Fate of the Guarantee Provided for the Preliminary Injunction Decision?
The Turkish Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 (“CCP”) regulates the granting of a preliminary injunction in return of a guarantee. However, the focus of this study is on the fate of the guarantee provided for a preliminary injunction in the event that a compensation action is filed after the finalisation of the action in which guarantee is given. Yet there is neither a specific provision in the CCP on this issue, nor a concrete, established practice on how this important issue… »
TÜRKPATENT Issues Long Awaited Amendments on Implementing Regulations of IP Code Regarding Administrative Revocation of Trademarks
Article 26 of the Industrial Property Code, granting the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (“the Office”) the authority to revoke trademarks, came into force on January 10, 2024. Fourteen months after the entry into force of the administrative revocation of trademarks, the Office published a regulation amending the regulation on the implementation of the administrative revocation of trademarks. Background With the entry into force of the Industrial Property Code no. 6769… »
News and Events
Our Partner Güldeniz Doğan Alkan and Senior Associate Cansu Evren Spoke at the PEM Event
Our partner Güldeniz Doğan Alkan and senior associate Cansu Evren spoke at the administrative cancellation of trademarks at the Attorney Consultation Meeting held by PEM in Istanbul on June 7, 2024, and provided the attorneys with their notes and recommendations on this matter.
Güldeniz Doğan Alkan Spoke at the Beyond Digital Borders: Internet Domain Names and Rights Conference
Our partner Güldeniz Doğan Alkan, spoke about "Legal Remedies for Intellectual Property and Personality Rights Violations in the Internet Environment" at the "Combatting Digital Threats: Internet Domain Name Abuse and Measures" session during the "Beyond Digital Borders: Internet Domain Names and Rights Conference" organized by TOBBUYUM & ICANN.
Beril Yayla Sapan Moderated TEİD Technical and Digital Evidence Collection and Intelligence Event
Beril Yayla Sapan, our partner in dispute management practice, moderated the event titled 'The Second Step of a Healthy Ethics and Compliance Program: Collection of Technical and Digital Evidence and Intelligence.' This panel was organized by the Ethics and Reputation Society (TEID) Internal Investigations Working Group and hosted by Gün + Partners.…
Uğur Aktekin and Hande Hançar Spoke at the GIPC Istanbul 2024
Our Partners Uğur Aktekin and Hande Hançar moderated two insightful sessions at the GIPC Istanbul 2024 conference. On the first day, Uğur Aktekin led a session on "IP Law and Enforcement Updates," alongside Mr. Erdem Kaya and Ms. Gizem Çaylı Yasa. They discussed the latest developments and enforcement updates within the Turkish IP ecosystem. On the second day, Hande Hançar moderated a session titled "Technology Transfer of Unprotected Information." Together with…
Hande Hançar Elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors of LES Turkey
We are proud to announce that Hande Hançar has been elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors of LES Turkey, Technology and Licensing Executives Society, for the 2024-2027 term. The mission of LES Turkey is to facilitate the global transfer of technology, the licensing of intellectual property, and the use of intellectual property at high standards within professional business life in accordance with relevant rules and regulations. This is achieved by creating a…
Mehmet Gün, Uğur Aktekin and Pınar Arıkan Have Been Recognized in the WTR Global Leaders 2024
We are delighted to announce that Mehmet Gün, Uğur Aktekin, and Pınar Arıkan have been recognized in the WTR Global Leaders 2024. WTR Global Leaders evaluates law firms and corporate trademark experts according to their expertise and experience in relation to creating, protecting, managing and enforcing essential brand rights, and also their ability to innovate, inspire and go above and beyond to deliver for their…
IAM Patent 1000 - The World's Leading Patent Professionals Rankings 2024 Announced
The 2024 edition of the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals has been released online. We are proud to announce that we have been recognised as the top tier firm and our 8 practitioners are recognized as the leading individuals in the IAM Patent 1000 - The World's Leading Patent Professionals 2024. The IAM Patent 1000 is a comprehensive directory that identifies the top patent professionals and expert witnesses globally, based on extensive research and…
Hande Hançar Listed in Top 250 Women in IP 2024
Congratulations to Hande Hançar to be recognised as Managing IP's Top 250 Women in IP 2024 edition. This special publication recognises some of the senior female IP practitioners in private practice who have performed exceptionally for their clients and firms in the past year.
We Completed Our 2024-2025 Legal Intern Evaluation Process
We have completed our legal intern evaluation process for the 2024-2025 period. We would like to thank all our candidates who showed great interest and applied. Welcome to our legal interns who will be with us from September. Hilal Gökdeniz, Yağmur Karakışla, Damla Köse, Meryem Çalışkan, Ayşe Erdoğan, Özge Dağlı, İpek Baltacıoğlu, İdil Kanadoğlu, Aysu Kevser Ergin, Miraç Tan Demirkale, Tuğçe Korkmaz, Ayşegül Aydemir, İsmail Arslan.
Atahan Erkul Spoke at the Panel Organized by OSS at the Automechanica Istanbul 2024
Atahan Erkul spoke at the panel organized by OSS at the Automechanica Istanbul 2024 Fair on Friday, May 24th, on the Importance of Brand Protection in Maintenance and Repair in the Automotive Sector and Recent Legal Developments. The panel featured presentations on legal sanctions under brand legislation regarding counterfeit automotive spare parts and an overview of annual activities.…
Direnç Bada Spoke at the USPTO "Intellectual Property Enforcement at the Border" Conference
Our managing associate, Direnç Bada, spoke at the recent USPTO "Intellectual Property Enforcement at the Border" conference in Istanbul. The presentation focused on the critical role of private-public collaboration and case studies in strengthening IP enforcement.
Baran Güney, Spoke at an GALA EMEA Webinar: Hot Topics in Advertising Law
Our managing associate, Baran Güney, spoke at an GALA EMEA Webinar: Hot Topics in Advertising Law in Europe with members of the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA) from Ireland, Spain, Slovakia, Turkey, and the UK, discussing recent developments in European advertising law, including environmental marketing, influencer marketing, consumer protection, AI, and the new UK Digital Markets Bill.