Insights
Insights from ICANN 81 and Domain Name Disputes in Türkiye
The 81st ICANN meeting (ICANN 81) was held in Istanbul, Türkiye, in November 2024, offering a significant platform for global discussions on internet governance, domain names, and online policy. The 81st ICANN meeting underscored the importance of evolving global internet governance, particularly through advancements in the New gTLD Program and initiatives like the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS). While these developments highlight strides toward inclusivity and… »
Data Residency in Turkey for 2025
Executive Summary: Data Residency in Turkey – Q&A Format Overview 1.1 General Personal Data Q: Can personal data be transferred abroad? A: Yes, but under specific conditions. Before June 1, 2024, personal data could be transferred abroad only if explicit consent was obtained or if a legal basis other than consent existed. These legal bases were outlined under Article 5 of the Data Protection Law (DPL). However, the applicability of these bases was limited due to the… »
Work Bearing The Characteristics of Its Author - “Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım”
The decision of the 11th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation dated 24.05.2022 and numbered 2020/8509 E. 2022/3996 K. has been enlightening, both in terms of the examination of the distinctive signs of the work and the works bearing the characteristics of the author, and in terms of the amendments made to the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, especially regarding cinematographic works. Following the publication of the previous version of our article, the 16th Civil… »
Recommendations from the Personal Data Protection Authority on the Protection of Personal Data in the Field of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, as one of the fastest-developing and most widely debated fields today, provide significant benefits to individuals and society while also posing various risks in terms of personal data protection. Recently, the widely discussed DeepSeek has been subjected to review by the European Commission and relevant data protection authorities. The Personal Data Protection Authority (“Authority”) has issued the following recommendations for… »
Matters to be Considered in Standard Contracts to be Used in the Transfer of Personal Data Abroad
With the amendment made to Article 9 of the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 (“Law”), titled “Transfer of personal data abroad”, standard contracts have been introduced as one of the appropriate safeguards that data controllers and data processors may rely on for the transfer of personal data abroad. With the enactment of the law amendment on June 1, 2024 with a three-month transition period for cross-border data transfers, and the publication of the Regulation on the… »
Changes to Minimum Wage, Severance Payments and Administrative Fines in 2025
At the beginning of each year, the minimum wage, severance payments and administrative fines prescribed by the Labour Act are revised. This article provides an overview of the 2025 changes, which came into effect on 1 January 2025. Minimum wage In 2024 the monthly minimum wage rate was 20,002.50 Turkish liras (gross). As of 1 January 2025, this has increased to 26,005.50 Turkish liras (gross). The new rate applies from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. The minimum wage… »
SNICKERS v PEANUT & CARAMEL: an Appetising Decision
The IP Court found that there was a likelihood of confusion between a figurative mark containing the words ‘Ankara çikolata peanut & caramel’ and earlier SNICKERS marks The Regional Court of Appeals agreed, and the Court of Cassation dismissed the appeal The well-known status of the opponent’s marks in the food sector enhanced the likelihood of confusion between the marks A recent IP Court decision has highlighted the impact of conceptual similarity and well-known… »
Domain Name Disputes and Online Enforcement in Türkiye
In a follow-up to their post on the Class 46 blog about the 81st ICANN meeting, Mutlu Yıldırım Köse and Baran Güney explore domain name disputes and online enforcement in Türkiye. The Role of TRABIS TRABIS (the .tr Network Information System), established by the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), became operational on 14 September 2022 and undertook the management of .tr domain names. Upon the introduction of TRABIS, the first-come… »
Guidelines on Cross-Border Transfer of Personal Data Published
The long-awaited Guidelines on Cross-Border Transfer of Personal Data (“Guidelines”), prepared to serve as a guiding document regarding the cross-border data transfers under the Personal Data Protection Law (“Law”), was published on the website of the Personal Data Protection Authority (“DPA”) on January 2, 2025. With the amendments made in the Law effective as of June 1, 2024, along with a three-month transition period, and the publication of the Regulation on the Procedures… »
Close Ties Between Competiton And Data Privacy Raises Competiton Concerns
The intersection between competition and data privacy has emerged in recent years. Questions have arisen globally about whether processing of consumers’ (personal) data constitute a competition issue, and, how authorities and capabilities between the two approaches can be managed and cooperate. Meta In the Origin of Investigations On December 5, 2024, the investigation into Meta Platforms, Inc. (“Meta”) in Turkiye has been concluded following the acceptance of the… »
Patent and Trademark Office Almost Loses Authority to Revoke Trademarks – Before It Even Gets a Chance to Use It
Within the context of the entry into force of Article 26 of the Industrial Property Code, there have been heated discussions as to whether the administrative revocation of trademarks is constitutional An IP court applied to the Constitutional Court to annul the office’s authority to revoke trademarks before the office was able to use such authority The Constitutional Court rejected the application due to the court's lack of jurisdiction and did not examine the… »
Article 10: a Hidden Gem of the Turkish Industrial Property Code
Article 10 grants trademark owners the right to request the transfer of a trademark in case of unfair registration in the name of a commercial agent and/or representative The provision offers an underestimated and rarely applied tool for genuine trademark owners A recent Court of Cassation decision involving the marks HOLLIS and OCEANIC highlights the significance of this provision Relevant rule of law Article 10 of the Industrial Property Code (“the IP Code”) reads as… »
News and Events
We Have Been Selected as the “Patent Firm of the Year” in Turkey by Global IP Awards 2023
We are delighted to have been named the winner of the Patent Firm of the Year for Turkey in the Global IP Awards 2023, which recognises the outstanding achievements of law and attorney firms in litigation, prosecution, and transactional work during 2022/2023.
Women in AIPPI Networking Event Sponsored by Gün + Partners
We are proud to be the sponsor of the "Women in AIPPI" networking event bringing together female IP professionals within the scope of the 2023 AIPPI World Congress in Istanbul. Women in AIPPI event will take place on a boat on the magical and unique Bosphorus this year. Women from around the world will meet and network while enjoying the breathtaking beauty of Istanbul from the sea. AIPPI World Congress will be held in Istanbul between 22-25 October, gathering up to 2.000…
Webinar: CJEU Decision Review - The Concepts of Free-Riding and Bad Faith in Reviving a Priorly Well-Known Trademark in light of the Nehera Decision
In the eighth of our Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decision review webinars, we discussed "Nehera decision" of CJEU. At our webinar; Güldeniz Doğan Alkan, Cansu Evren and Ayşenur Çıtak Bozdağ discussed "Whether refiling of a prior well-known trademark by a third party is a tribute or free-riding?" Topics Summary of the dispute subject to the decision of the CJEU and the court decision Evaluation of the claims of the parties and the approach of the Court on…
Dilan Sıla Kayalıca, Maral Büyükkürkçü and Zeynep Çağla Üstün, Are Listed as Rising Star by Euromoney's MIP IP STARS 2023
We are delighted to announce that Dilan Sıla Kayalıca, Maral Büyükkürkçü and Zeynep Çağla Üstün, senior associates in our intellectual property practice, have once again been recognized as Rising Stars in this year’s IP STARS ranking by Managing IP. Managing IP’s Rising Stars list, recognizes some of the best up-and-coming intellectual property practitioners in private practice who have contributed to the success of their firms and clients.
We Are Pleased to Announce the Recognition of Our Lawyers Among The Legal 500 Private Practice Powerlist 2023 - Dispute Resolution – Türkiye
We are delighted to announce that our founding partner Mehmet Gün, partners Aysel Korkmaz Yatkın and Beril Yayla Sapan and managing associate Asena Aytuğ Keser have been listed in The Legal 500 Private Practice Powerlist 2023 - Dispute Resolution – Türkiye. The Dispute Resolution Powerlist Türkiye, showcases the leading practitioners working in the region who focus primarily on litigation, arbitration, mediation and other forms of dispute resolution. You could reach the…
Hande Hançar Spoke at IP Camp 2023
Hande Hançar, partner in our IP practice and board member of Licensing Executives Society Turkey (LES Turkey), spoke at "The Future of Trademark Licensing in Emerging Tech Industries" session of IP Camp 2023, together with Murat İdal. LES IP CAMP is the premier training event dedicated to Intellectual Property Management and Licensing, organized by LES-Turkey since 2014. Gün + Partners is a proud supporter of IP Camp.
Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş Have Been Recognised as a Lexology Legal Influencer
We are delighted Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş, partner in our TMT practice, have been recognised as a leading author in the Lexology Legal Influencers Q2 2023 for TMT - Europe. Lexology Legal Influencers recognises the thought leaders who over the past months have been consistently providing Lexology with useful, insightful legal analysis within their particular work area grouping and region or country in the legal industry every…
Gün + Partners Top Ranked by IP STARS 2023
We are proud to be listed as top tier firm and our five practitioners are listed among trademark stars and patent stars by Euromoney Managing IP’s IP STARS 2023 which is the leading specialist guide for companies or individuals looking for experienced legal practitioners to deal with contentious and non-contentious intellectual property issues. Managing IP has been covering IP law and practice since 1990. https://www.ipstars.com/Jurisdiction/Turkey/Rankings/8546#rankings
Mehmet Gün, Özge Atılgan Karakulak and Selin Sinem Erciyas are Listed in IAM Global Leaders 2023
Our founding partner Mehmet Gün, and our partners Özge Atılgan Karakulak and Selin Sinem Erciyas are listed in IAM Global Leaders 2023. To qualify for inclusion in the IAM Global Leaders, individuals must be ranked in the gold tier of the IAM Patent 1000, the market-leading annual directory that identifies the top law and attorney firms and individuals in the world’s most significant patent…
Our IP Partners Are Listed in WIPR Leaders 2023
Mehmet Gün, Aysel Korkmaz Yatkın, Güldeniz Doğan Alkan, Mutlu Yıldırım Köse, Selin Sinem Erciyas and Uğur Aktekin, partners in our intellectual property practice, are listed in the WIPR Leaders 2023 from Turkey. The guide profiles the leading IP executives across the world. The handbook lists over 2,500 lawyers across patent, trademark, and copyright practices after an extensive nomination period. In order to reach the WIPR Leaders 2023, please click here.
Baran Güney Spoke at Hot Topics in Global Environmental Marketing Webinar
Baran Güney, managing associate in our TMT practice, spoke at Hot Topics in Global Environmental Marketing webinar hosted by Practicing Law Institute in cooperation with the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance.
IAM Patent 1000 - The World's Leading Patent Professionals Rankings 2023 Announced
The 2023 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 2023. The IAM Patent 1000 focuses exclusively on patent practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive 'go-to' resource for those seeking world-class…