Insights
When Overall Perception Speaks Louder Than Words: Conceptual Similarity
In the cosmetics sector, logos play a crucial role considering that consumers pay close attention to brand image, but they act quickly when buying products. Visual appearance often shapes purchasing decisions more than the verbal elements of a trademark. Decisions of Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (“the Office”) accepting the similarity between the trademarks discussed below provide a compelling case study of how overall perception and conceptual similarity between the… »
Turkish Court of Cassation Underlines Key Factors in Establishing Trademark Bad Faith
In a decision dated March 18 2025 (No. 2024/3844 E. (Merits), 2025/1879 K), the 11th Civil Chamber of the Turkish Court of Cassation upheld a Regional Court of Appeal finding that a trademark application had been filed in bad faith – reversing a ruling that dismissed the claim. Background to the case and the first-instance ruling On April 11 2019, an application was filed for the registration of the trademark ‘Stayer+’ in classes 7 and 35 of the Nice Classification. The… »
Turkish Patent and Trademark Office’s 2024 Revisions: Updates to the Trademark Classification System
At the end of 2024, Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (“the Office”) made a significant move by publishing a revised communiqué on the classification of goods and services for trade mark registration applications. The changes, which came into effect following their publication in the Official Gazette on 20 December 2024, align the Turkish classification system with the latest updates made to the Nice Classification. These revisions aim to make the trade mark application… »
Similarity Assessment in Trademark Applications Containing Low Distinctive Elements in the Light of the Court of Cassation Decisions
In trademark law, the existence of distinctive character is one of the main criteria for the registration of a trademark, and the overall impression of the trademarks and the elements they contain should be examined in detail when evaluating the likelihood of confusion between trademarks. In cases conducted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”), it is mentioned that, in addition to the distinctive elements of a trademark, the low distinctive elements… »
Does the Covid-19 Pandemic Constitute a Justified Reason for non-use?
The defendant in a non-use revocation action argued that the pandemic was a force majeure event which had compelled it to cease using its trademark temporarily The court disagreed, holding that the mark at issue, registered for personal care goods in Class 3, should have been used even more intensively during the pandemic The pandemic will not, in itself, be accepted as a justified reason for non-use in revocation actions After the covid-19 pandemic was declared globally… »
Approaches to Trademark Similarity in the Food Supplement Sector
A recent decision by the Court of Cassation regarding trademark similarity in the food supplements and vitamins sector offers a different perspective on the criteria for assessing trademark similarity. This decision provides valuable guidance for launching these products in compliance with both trademark law and sector-specific conditions. Background The decision of the 11th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation (“CoC”) dated May 28, 2024 (case no. E. 2023/911, K.… »
Changes to Administrative Trade Mark Revocation in Türkiye
For the first time in Turkey, the IP law enacted in 2017 introduced an administrative revocation procedure before the Turkish Patent and Trade Mark Office. However, to ensure a smooth transition, its implementation was delayed until 10 January 2024. Previously, actions for revocation of trade marks based on non-use were filed as a court action before the specialized IP courts. As of 10 January 10 2024, the Office has become responsible for handling revocation requests.… »
Navigating Türkiye’s Legal Landscape on Parallel Imports and Grey Market Goods
Parallel imports and grey market goods (ie, genuine products that have been imported into a country without the trademark owner's consent, after being legitimately placed on the market elsewhere] have long been a subject of legal and commercial tension worldwide, and a main topic for discussions around trademark rights. Most countries apply a national or regional exhaustion of trademark rights. However, Article 7 of the Turkish Industrial Property Code 6769 (IP Code]. which… »
Applying Presumption of Patent Infringement Against Biosimilars
Before filing lawsuits to assert patent rights against generics or biosimilars, the patent holder essentially operates in the dark. This is because, particularly in cases where the summary of product characteristics (“SmPC”) of the biosimilar/generic drug has not yet been published, or when it is not clear from the limited information in the SmPC whether the patent has been infringed, the relevant sections of the biosimilar/generic product's dossier must be examined to assess… »
Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2026 in Türkiye
Legislation Treaties Is your country party to any bilateral or multilateral treaties for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments? What is the country’s approach to entering into these treaties, and what, if any, amendments or reservations has your country made to such treaties? Except for those on family law, Türkiye is not a signatory to multilateral treaties for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. However, Türkiye is a… »
Regulations Regarding Direct Sales Models
With the Regulation on Direct Sales (“Regulation”) published in the Official Gazette dated 8 August 2025 and numbered 32980, direct sale systems have been re-regulated, which are sales systems established by a direct sale company and in which direct sellers (who are not employed by the relevant direct sale company under an employment contract but rather act as independent representatives, distributors, consultants or under similar titles, and engage in return for benefits… »
Türkiye’s Healthcare System Undergoes Major Legal Reforms
On July 24, 2025, Türkiye introduced the Law Amending Certain Laws Related to Health (“the Law No. 7557), a wide-ranging reform aimed at modernizing and improving its healthcare industry. This legislation comes at a time when rapid social and economic changes, advancing technology, and growing healthcare demands require continuous adaptation and improvement of the healthcare system. Over the years, Türkiye has made significant progress in expanding healthcare access… »
News and Events
We are Attending the 11th AIDA Europe Conference in Madrid
We are pleased to announce our participation at the 11th AIDA Europe Conference, which will be held in Madrid on 29-30 May 2025 and extend an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Aysel Korkmaz Yatkın, 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 at…
We are Attending the 22nd IBA Annual International Mergers & Acquisitions Conference in New York
We are pleased to announce our participation at the 22nd IBA Annual International Mergers & Acquisitions Conference, which will be held in New York on 4-5 Jun 2025 and extend an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Görkem Bilgin, 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 him. We eagerly anticipate the prospect…
Kendal Basut Was Recently Featured in the RAI Documentary, Punti di Vista – The Threat of Counterfeiting to Made in Italy
We are pleased to share that our Senior Associate, Kendal Basut, was recently featured in the RAI documentary program Punti di Vista, aired on April 9, 2025. In this episode, Kendal participated in a discussion addressing the increasing threat that counterfeiting poses to Italian industries amid rising protectionist measures and new tariffs. Alongside government officials, economic experts, and industry leaders, Kendal provided insights into the legal implications and…
Güldeniz Doğan Alkan Spoke at the Webinar Organized by TOBBUYUM
Our partner Güldeniz Doğan Alkan spoke at the webinar titled 'Dispute Resolution Mechanism in Domain Name Disputes,' organized by TOBBUYUM. The “Dispute Resolution Mechanism in Domain Name Disputes” webinar provided participants with valuable information on the methods that can be followed and the current legal procedures for resolving domain name disputes. With contributions from experts in domain name registration, infringements, and resolution methods, participants had…
We are Attending the 9th IBA Global Entrepreneurship Conference in Milan
We are pleased to announce our participation at the 9th IBA Global Entrepreneurship Conference, which will be held in Milan on 18-20 May 2025 and extend an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Görkem Bilgin, 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 him. We eagerly anticipate the prospect of meeting you…
We Co-Hosted “Online Brand Protection in Türkiye (Webinar)” with CSC and ICANN.
In this webinar, experts from ICANN, Gün + Partners, and CSC Digital Brand Services covered: ICANN Update: An overview of the latest developments at ICANN and key updates from the ICANN81 Annual Meeting. Digital Asset Protection: Key strategies for protecting digital presence. Online Enforcement: Updates on building a corporate domain name strategy, with a focus on Türkiye. .COM.TR Liberalization and the Launch of .TR: Its impact on brand owners. IP Enforcement in the…
We Are the "Firm of the Year" by Managing IP EMEA Awards 2025
Gün + Partners was awarded the Türkiye Trademark Disputes Firm of the Year at the Managing IP European, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Awards 2025. The Managing IP Awards programme recognises remarkable intellectual property achievements and developments in the last year. Now in its 20th year, the awards cover several IP practice areas and more than 50 jurisdictions.
We Attended the 9th ICC European Conference on International Arbitration in Paris
We were pleased to announce our participation at the 9th ICC European Conference on International Arbitration, which was held in Paris on 7-9 Apr 2025, and extended an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Aysel Korkmaz Yatkın and Beril Yayla Sapan, partners, represented Gün + Partners at the conference.
We Attended the 26th Annual IBA Arbitration Day in London
We were pleased to announce our participation at the 26th Annual IBA Arbitration Day, which was held in London on 3-4 Apr 2025, and extended an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Aysel Korkmaz Yatkın, partner, represented Gün + Partners at the conference.
We Attended the Annual IBA Employment and Diversity Law Conference 2025 in Marrakech
We were pleased to announce our participation at the Annual IBA Employment and Diversity Law Conference 2025, which was held in Marrakech on 2-4 Apr 2025, and extended an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Beril Yayla Sapan, partner, and Asena Aytuğ Keser, managing associate, represented Gün + Partners at the conference.
We Attended the 8th IBA Mergers and Acquisitions in the Technology Sector Conference in Geneva
We were pleased to announce our participation at the 8th IBA Mergers and Acquisitions in the Technology Sector Conference, which was held in Geneva on 13-14 Mar 2025, and extended an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş, partner, represented Gün + Partners at the conference.
We Will Attend the 11th Annual IBA World Life Sciences Conference in Boston
The 11th Annual IBA World Life Sciences Conference will take place on 11 - 13 June 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Özge Atılgan Karakulak, partner in our Life Sciences practice and Advisory Board Member of the IBA Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee, will be the co-chair of the conference. Topics will include: Trends in gene therapy and personalized medicine Navigating the Intersection of Patent Strategies and Antitrust Regulations in the…