Insights
Implementation of Discovery of Evidence in Patent Law
One of the most important temporary protection measures regulated by Turkish law is the determination of evidence. The implementation of determination of evidence, which is regulated in Articles 400 et seq. of the Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 and is subject to simple legal procedure, may be requested for the purpose of making a discovery, obtaining an expert examination or taking witness statements in order to determine facts that have yet to be examined in a pending… »
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… »
Combating Counterfeit and Smuggled Drugs
Foreign pharmaceutical trademarks, in principle, are registered in the name of the companies in the countries where they are established, and trademark protection procedures are managed by those companies. Although affiliates in Türkiye are not a party to trademark protection proceedings, since they become the marketing authorization holders of the drug, they are considered the relevant addressee of the Ministry of Health (“MoH”) in all transactions related to the… »
An Important European Precedent: Legal Consequences of Statements Concerning Competitors and Its Implications for Türkiye
In today’s business world, competition among companies is shaped not only by the quality of their products and services, but also by their communication strategies with the public. However, the legal boundaries of such statements should be carefully determined. Statements made about competitors, particularly in Europe, may constitute “defamation” which are evaluated within the scope of competition law and provisions concerning unfair competition and may lead to serious legal… »
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… »
News and Events
We Are Attending the IBA Annual Litigation Forum: The future of litigation in Singapore
We are pleased to share that we will be participating in the IBA Annual Litigation Forum: The Future of Litigation, taking place in Singapore from April 9-11, 2025. We would like to extend an invitation to meet during the event. Mehmet Gün, the Founder and Senior Partner of Gün + Partners, as well as the Founder and President of the Better Justice Association and Founding President and Chairman of the High Advisory Board of the Istanbul Arbitration Association (ISTA) will…
Gün + Partners Ranked in The Legal 500 2025
We are proud to have achieved Top Tier rankings in 3 out of the 9 practice areas in which we are ranked. This recognition reflects the strength and dedication of our team across a broad range of practices. We are also pleased to share that: 2 of our lawyers are listed in the 'Hall of Fame', 3 are recognized as 'Leading Individuals', 2 are ranked among the 'Next Generation Partners', and 5 are named 'Leading Associates'. The Legal 500 is one of the most prestigious…
Beste Turan Kurtoğlu Spoke at the Patent Report LIVE #9 Event
The 10 patent topics that stood out in patent law in 2024 were discussed at the PatentEffect Patent Report LIVE #9 event held on March 26. Our senior associate Beste Turan Kurtoğlu from the Patent and Utility Models team evaluated the impact of the CJEU's long-arm jurisdiction interpretation on the patent world, the Italian Supreme Court's assessment of the Bolar Exception, and the importance of evidence collection in patent disputes.
Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş and Yalçın Umut Talay spoke at the ARTED Webinar on Artificial Intelligence in the Medical Device Industry
Our partner Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş and our managing associate Yalçın Umut Talay spoke at the "Artificial Intelligence in the Medical Device Industry Webinar" organized by ARTED. The webinar explored the rising role of artificial intelligence technologies in the medical device sector and the impact of developments in this field on the industry.
We Are Attending the CITMA Spring Conference
We are pleased to announce our participation at the CITMA Spring Conference, which will be held in London on 20-21 Mar 2025. Uğur Aktekin, partner, and Baran Güney, managing associate, 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 Attended the CITMA Spring Conference: Navigating the Digital Frontier Event
Uğur Aktekin and İrem Girenes Yücesoy participated in the CITMA Spring Conference: Navigating the Digital Frontier event held in London, where approximately 200 speakers and delegates from 25 countries participated in various sessions.
Our Lawyers Met with ELSA Ankara Members
As part of the "Lawyers @ Work" event, we hosted ELSA (European Law Students Association) Ankara member law students in our office. Our lawyers shared their working in a full service and institutional law firm experience with ELSA Ankara members and answered the questions of the participants about our firm.
Begüm Yavuzdoğan Okumuş Recognized in Lexology Index: Data 2025
Congratulations to Begüm to be recognized as one of the world's leading Data Privacy & Protection practitioners in the Lexology Index (formerly Who's Who Legal) Data 2025. Lexology Index: Data recognizes the leading lawyers in the areas of data privacy and protection, data security and information technology. Those selected are experts in ensuring that company and individual data remains private, assisting clients with keeping personal control of their data…
Uğur Aktekin and Zeynep Seda Alhas Will Moderate Sessions at the Sertaç Köksaldı 6th Intellectual Property Law Seminar
As part of the “Sertaç Köksaldı 6th Intellectual Property Law Seminar”, current IP issues will be discussed by judges, lawyers, academics, patent and trademark attorneys, and representatives from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, all of whom are experienced and have made significant contributions in their respective fields, both in Türkiye and abroad. Topics to be covered in the seminar: Intellectual Property Law in the Context of Artificial…
Barış Kalaycı and Atahan Erkul Discussed IP Enforcement in Türkiye at JETRO Webinar
Our Partner Barış Kalaycı and Senior Associate Atahan Erkul discussed the current state of combating against counterfeits and provided an overview of effective IP enforcement measures in Türkiye over the past year at the 'Türkiye's IPR System and Enforcement' webinar hosted by JETRO.
We Are Attending the 13th IBA European Corporate and Private M&A Conference in Paris
We are pleased to announce our participation at the 13th IBA European Corporate and Private M&A Conference, which will be held in Paris on 6 - 7 Feb 2025 and extend an invitation for a potential meeting during the event. Görkem Bilgin, partner, and Yalçın Umut Talay, managing associate, 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…
Mehmet Gün Spoke at the TÜSİAD SD2 / STEP Panel
Mehmet Gün, our founding partner, spoke in the TÜSİAD SD2 / STEP Panel - Artificial Intelligence and Data Usage: Legal and Security Dimensions organized by TÜSİAD SD2 on November 28. During the panel, the speakers discussed the areas of application for artificial intelligence and data, the expectations of companies from these technologies, the legal and security risks that may arise while utilizing them, the measures that can be taken, and important warnings. They also…