Insights
Schrödinger’s Paradox in the Patent World: Can a Marketed Product Fall Outside the Prior Art?
On 2 July 2025, the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (“EPO”), in its decision G 1/23, clarified whether a product already placed on the market, but whose internal structure cannot be analysed or reproduced by the skilled person, may nevertheless be excluded from the state of the art in the assessment of inventive step. In doing so, the Board added a new dimension to the ongoing debate following decision G 1/92. The dispute giving rise to the decision… »
Fixed Exchange Rate in Pricing of Pharmaceuticals and its Impact
The prices of pharmaceuticals to be launched on the market are determined in accordance with the Decision on the Pricing of Medicinal Products for Human Use (“Decision”) and the Communiqué on the Pricing of Medicinal Products for Human Use (“Communiqué”) dated 29 September 2017, published by the Ministry of Health, which has been authorised to regulate this area. The Decision foresees a reference pricing system in which the lowest wholesaler price for the relevant product in… »
Market Availability of Products and Parallel Trade
Counterfeit and illicitly traded health products remained a persistent concern in Türkiye throughout 2025, as reflected both in enforcement statistics and in external reporting on supply chain integrity. Despite the legal prohibition on the online sale of pharmaceutical products, there has been a noticeable increase in the circulation of counterfeit medicines through online channels, alongside growing reports of products being illicitly exported from Türkiye to foreign… »
Plant Protection Products: Digital Governance and Traceability
Plant protection products (“PPPs”) are defined in legislation in a broad and highly technical manner. They include preparations used to protect plants and plant products against harmful organisms or to prevent their effects, excluding products intended solely for plant nutrition. These products may also influence plant growth, control or prevent undesirable developments, or eliminate unwanted plants, and typically consist of one or more active ingredients that work… »
Food Supplements
Following the structural changes introduced in 2023 to the regulatory framework governing health claims on food and dietary supplements, the subsequent period has been characterised less by new legislative intervention and more by regulatory consolidation and practical implementation. The removal of mandatory prior administrative approval for health claims has remained in effect, reshaping the compliance landscape by shifting greater responsibility onto economic… »
Healthcare System Reforms
In July 2025, Türkiye introduced Law No. 7557, bringing wide-ranging updates to the healthcare system. These reforms aim to modernise services, improve efficiency, and strengthen oversight, responding to growing healthcare demands and technological developments. For the life sciences sector, several provisions are particularly relevant: Physicians and dentists are now limited to practicing in a maximum of two healthcare institutions, marking a shift toward tighter workforce… »
Medical Devices: New Sanctions and Technical Service Governance
Recent regulatory developments in the medical devices sector point to a shift from procedural compliance toward enforcement-driven market discipline, coupled with a gradual restructuring of technical service governance. A major inflection point in this trajectory was the entry into force of Law No. 7557 in July 2025, which introduced Additional Article 20 to the Basic Law on Health Services. This provision significantly expanded the administrative sanctions framework… »
Interactions with Healthcare Professionals, Transfer of Values and Conditions of Payment
Interactions between life sciences companies and healthcare professionals (“HCPs”) in Türkiye continue to be governed by a well-established regulatory framework. In the pharmaceutical sector, promotional activities remain subject to the Regulation on the Promotion of Medicinal Products for Human Use, which strictly limits promotion to healthcare professionals and prohibits direct or indirect advertising to the public. Engagements such as consultancy and service arrangements… »
Regulatory and Judicial Trends Shaping Access to NPP Products
NPPs operate as special import regimes that enable access to medicines that are either not authorised in Türkiye or are temporarily unavailable on the domestic market, upon the request of a treating physician. Fundamentally designed to address urgent or exceptional patient needs, the NPP framework has gradually evolved into a more structured and regulated supply mechanism. A significant step in this evolution was the entry into force of the Regulation on the Importation of… »
Market Access - Alternative Reimbursement Models
Alternative reimbursement models in Türkiye provide pathways for innovative medicines to gain coverage outside standard pricing rules, allowing the Social Security Institution (“SSI”) to negotiate terms such as discounts, budget caps, or other arrangements. These models, formalised under the 2016 Regulation on Alternative Reimbursement and updated in 2023, aim to improve patient access while managing healthcare expenditures. The Regulation on Alternative Reimbursement… »
GSK Succeeds in Bad Faith Case in Türkiye
This article examines a lawsuit concerning the use of a trademark, after it was registered in Türkiye by a third party, with the aim of threatening infringement proceedings against the company that is the rightful owner of the mark and evaluates how the courts protect the genuine rights holder against bad faith registration. Background The dispute concerned the bad faith registration of a trademark that had previously been registered in Türkiye in the name of Stiefel… »
Trademark Applications Made in Bad Faith and the Assessment of Bad Faith in EU Law under the CP13 Common Practice
In European Union (“EU”) legislation relating to trademark law, the concept of bad faith in trademark applications is not explicitly defined, nor are its boundaries clearly established. Although EU case-law provides significant guidance on the concept, it has been observed that there are different interpretations in practice and there are challenges in regard to achieving uniformity, making it difficult to foresee the manner in which assessment of claims of bad faith are… »
News and Events
Özge Atılgan Karakulak and Selin Sinem Erciyas Spoke at the Pharma Biotech Patent Litigation Europe Summit
Our partners Özge Atılgan Karakulak and Selin Sinem Erciyas represented the firm at the Pharma Biotech Patent Litigation Europe Summit, held in Amsterdam on 19–21 January 2026. At the summit, Özge Atılgan Karakulak spoke in the session “Competition Law Review from the Life Sciences Sector: A Review of Recent Court Decisions,” while Selin Sinem Erciyas contributed to “Preliminary Injunction Review for the Life Sciences Sector.” The summit brought together leading…
Özge Atılgan Karakulak and Selin Sinem Erciyas will Speak at the Pharma Biotech Patent Litigation Europe Summit
Özge Atılgan Karakulak and Selin Sinem Erciyas, partners in our Life Sciences and Patents and Utility Models practices, will speak at the Pharma Biotech Patent Litigation Europe Summit in Amsterdam, which will take place on January 19–21, 2026. They will speak in the following sessions: Özge Atılgan Karakulak in “Competition Law Review from the Life Sciences Sector: A Review of Recent Court Decisions”, and Selin Sinem Erciyas in “Preliminary Injunction Review for the Life…
We are Attending the 14th IBA European Corporate and Private M&A Conference in Paris
We are pleased to announce our participation at the 14th IBA European Corporate and Private M&A Conference, which will be held in Paris on 5 - 6 Feb 2026 and extend an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Our partners Görkem Bilgin and Yalçın Umut Talay will be representing Gün + Partners at the conference. If you are interested in exploring collaboration opportunities or simply reconnecting, please feel free to get in touch with them. We eagerly…
We are Attending the 27th Annual IBA Arbitration Day in Abu Dhabi
We are pleased to announce our participation at the 27th Annual IBA Arbitration Day, which will be held in Abu Dhabi on 28-29 Jan 2026 and extend an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Asena Aytuğ Keser, partner, will be representing Gün + Partners at the conference. If you are interested in exploring collaboration opportunities or simply reconnecting, please feel free to get in touch with her. We eagerly anticipate the prospect of meeting you face-to-face…
Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş Spoke at the TÜSİAD SD2 / STEP Panel
Our partner Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş spoke at the TÜSİAD SD2 / STEP Panel titled “The Coordination, Investment and Legal Dimensions of Transformation”, organised by TÜSİAD SD2 on 9 January. Within the scope of the event, the strategic approach to digital transformation in industry, technological priorities and cross-sectoral application areas were discussed. Digital transformation investments, artificial intelligence and data-driven solutions, supplier–company collaborations…
Hande Hançar to Be a Trainer at the IP Commercialization Training Program
We will host the "IP Commercialization Training Program" organized in collaboration with AIPPI Türkiye and LES Turkey As part of the program, our partner Hande Hançar will provide training on the strategic management, commercialization, and economic value creation processes of intellectual property. Within the scope of the training program, the strategic management, commercialization, and technology transfer processes of intellectual property will be addressed from a…
Baran Güney Spoke at the “Global Advertising Law Year in Review” Webinar by GALA
Baran Güney, managing associate in our TMT practice, spoke on key developments in advertising law, including regulatory enforcement priorities, privacy issues, artificial intelligence, influencer marketing, “dark patterns,” and food and beverage advertising, at the “Global Advertising Law Year in Review” webinar by GALA.
Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş, Spoke at the UN Global Compact Türkiye Webinar
Our partner Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş spoke as a panelist at the “Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence – Solutions and Good Practices” session of the webinar organized by UN Global Compact Türkiye. The panel focused on ethical decision-making processes in AI-based applications, the prevention of bias and discrimination, and mechanisms for transparency and accountability, and included the sharing of practical examples and case studies.
Gün + Partners Ranked in the 2025 Edition of Benchmark Litigation Europe
We are proud to be recognized among the leading law firms, and our founding partner Mehmet Gün and our partners Barış Kalaycı, Hande Hançar, Selin Sinem Erciyas, and Özge Atılgan Karakulak are recognized as Litigation Stars of 2025 in Turkey by Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation. Benchmark Litigation recognises the most distinguished law firms and lawyers for their dispute resolution work over the past 12 months.
Gün + Partners Ranked in the IAM Patent 1000 - The World's Leading Patent Professionals 2025
The 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals has been released. 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 2025. The IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals is a comprehensive guide to top private practice patent experts and expert witnesses worldwide, based…
Mehmet Gün Listed in IAM Strategy 300 2026
We’re proud to share that Mehmet Gün has been recognized in the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists 2026. This prestigious list highlights individuals who are shaping the future of IP through innovative and high-impact portfolio strategies. The IAM Strategy 300 identifies global leaders who excel at developing and implementing approaches that unlock the full value of intellectual property.
We Attended the INTA 2025 Policy Dialogue Panel
“INTA 2025 Policy Dialogue: Intellectual Property Rights and the Protection of Public Health: From Counterfeit/Falsified Medicines to Data Exclusivity” panel was held on 24 November 2025, hosted by the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (AİFD). The opening remarks were delivered by Uğur Aktekin, our partner and a member of INTA’s Famous and Well-Known Marks Committee. The session “Combating…