Insights
Draft Law on Digital Copyright
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… »
The Long-Awaited Amendment Has Entered into Force: Maternity and Paternity Leave Periods Extended
Significant amendments affecting working life have entered into force with the publication of the Law No. 7578 on Amendments to the Social Services Law and Certain Other Laws (“Law No. 7578”) in the Official Gazette dated 1 May 2026 and numbered 33240. Within the scope of these amendments, both maternity and paternity leave durations have been extended. Maternity Leave Pursuant to Article 74 of the Labour Law No. 4857, female employees had previously been entitled to a total… »
Corporate Governance 2026 in Turkey
Primary sources of law, regulation and practiceWhat are the primary sources of law, regulation and practice relating to corporate governance? Is it mandatory for listed companies to comply with listing rules or do they apply on a "comply or explain" basis? The Turkish Commercial Code (TCC) dated 13 January 2011 (Law No. 6102) entered into force on 1 July 2012. The TCC has important objectives, such as ensuring transparency, adopting corporate governance standards and… »
Startup Legal Playbook - Fourth Edition 2026
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… »
On the Court of Cassation’s “My Sweet Orange Tree” Decision
The legal nature of translations represents an important issue under copyright law. Indeed, a translation is often not simply a technical transfer between languages; particularly in the context of literary works, it constitutes the product of intensive intellectual labor whereby the translator reconstructs the work by drawing on the culture of the target language, its expressive possibilities, and the translator’s own interpretation. In this respect, a translation may in… »
Goal Celebrations and Other Distinctive Elements
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… »
Article 138(3) of the EPC: How Turkish Courts Treat Amended Patent Claims
A Turkish case highlights the importance of Article 138(3) when patent claims are amended during an invalidation action, say Selin Sinem Erciyas, Aysel Korkmaz Yatkın, and Bengü Şen Gürakan of Gün + Partners Pursuant to Article 138(3) of the European Patent Convention (EPC), a patent proprietor is entitled to limit the patent by amending the claims in proceedings before the competent court or authority relating to the validity of the European patent. According to the same… »
Compensation for Unjust Preliminary Injunctions in Pharmaceutical Patents and Critical Parameters
One of the most complex types of disputes encountered in the field of pharmaceutical patents is compensation lawsuits arising from unjust preliminary injunctions. These compensation lawsuits require meticulous assessment from the perspective of both procedural law and substantive law. Especially, because of the controversies over the nature of fault-based liability arising from the ambiguities in the wording of Article 399 of the Code of Civil Procedure (“CCP”), and where… »
Prohibition of Double Patenting: Assessment within the Framework of the Turkish Patent Office Practice
The prohibition of double patenting is a fundamental principle in patent law that aims to prevent obtaining multiple patent protection for the same invention. This prohibition is intended to prevent both the granting of a second patent for the same invention (narrow sense of double patenting) and the effective extension of the protection period through applications that are not substantially different from each other and contain the same invention idea in terms of technical… »
Can the Exercise of Patent Rights Be Limited by Allegations of Unfair Competition?
Undoubtedly, the initiation of patent infringement actions by patent holders for the purpose of protecting their exclusive rights, as well as the notification of third parties outside the proceedings who are suspected of involvement in infringing activities, fall within the scope of the rights conferred by patent law. Nevertheless, particularly in disputes between originator and generic pharmaceutical companies, the boundary between the exercise of patent rights and the… »
Turkish Court of Cassation’s Stance on Short-Word Trademarks: Analysis
According to the Trademark Examination Guideline of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, which is aligned with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) guidelines, the comparison of trademarks should be based on the overall impression created by the marks. In this assessment, the length of a trademark can be an important factor. In general, the shorter a sign is, the easier it is for the public to perceive each of its elements. Conversely, in longer signs… »
Artificial Intelligence and Trademark Law
The impact of artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies on trademark law has been among the frequently debated topics over the past year. As also discussed in our article published last year, while these technologies accelerate processes in terms of trademark registration procedures, they simultaneously necessitate a re-assessment of the human-centered criteria traditionally applied in trademark law. Indeed, Intellectual Property (“IP”) offices worldwide continue to… »
News and Events
Beril Yayla Sapan is Attending the Annual IBA Employment and Diversity Law Conference 2026 in Warsaw
We are pleased to announce our participation at the Annual IBA Employment and Diversity Law Conference 2026, which will be held in Warsaw on 22-24 Apr 2026 and extend an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Beril Yayla Sapan, 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…
We Support JIPA and JETRO’s Anti-Counterfeiting Mission in Türkiye
Last week, we were delighted to support and accompany the Japanese Intellectual Property Association (JIPA) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) during their visits to Istanbul and Izmir. In Istanbul, we held productive meetings at Bakırköy Courthouse and İstanbul Courthouse, with the Chairs of the respective Judicial Commissions, focusing on the challenges in obtaining search and seizure warrants in anti-counterfeiting processes and the increasing challenges of…
Announcement of 2026 Partner and Senior Associate Promotions
We are pleased to announce the continued growth of our firm with the promotion of Asena Aytuğ Keser, Direnç Bada and Yalçın Umut Talay to partner, and Uğur Erkırlı to senior associate, effective 1 January 2026. Asena Aytuğ Keser has specialized in complex dispute management, commercial litigation and arbitration since joining the firm in 2011, providing strategic counsel to national and international clients across a wide range of disputes, from employment-related to…
We Delivered an IP Training at the Customs General Directorate Event in Bursa
We had the privilege of participating in the General Directorate of Customs’ IP training event held in Bursa on February 04, 2026, representing more than two dozen clients, with the contributions of our Partner Zeynep Seda Alhas, Senior Associates Atahan Erkul and Kendal Basut, and Associate Atacan Yılmaz. During the training, we presented genuine and counterfeit products, engaging directly with officials to demonstrate practical differences and discuss how effective…
Gün + Partners Top Ranked by WTR 1000 2026
We have been ranked as a top-tier firm in both the “Litigation” and “Prosecution” categories in the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals 2026. Additionally, 13 of our practitioners have been recognized as recommended individuals. The WTR 1000 identifies the top trademark practitioners and firms worldwide, serving as the definitive ‘go-to’ guide for those seeking legal trademark expertise. WTR states: Gün + Partners is one of the…
Dicle Doğan Has Been Named a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer
Dicle Doğan has been recognised by Thomson Reuters as a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer, an independent recognition reflecting client feedback. Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers recognizes top legal professionals based on rigorous criteria, including nominations by senior in-house counsel and analysis of legal market performance.
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…