Insights
Supervisory Power of the Court of Cassation
Before the establishment of regional courts of appeal, the Court of Cassation (“CoC”), the highest court of the Turkish judicial system, used its judicial power as a review of expediency by examining the merits of the case, as required by the binary justice system. In the new period following 2016, when the regional courts of appeal began to operate, the primary duty assigned to the CoC is to act as a court of precedents.Even though the regional courts of appeal started to… »
Harmonisation with the EU Medical Devices Regulation
After the long-awaited Regulation on Medical Devices numbered 2017/745 (“MDR”), prepared by the EU Commission, has entered into force, Medical Device Regulation (“Regulation”) which has been designed following MDR, has been published in the Official Gazette numbered 31499 on June 2 2020. Various effective dates have been foreseen for several articles in accordance with the EU transition process to provide a transition period for the new regulations introduced by the… »
Promotion of Medical Devices
With medicines, the rule is clear: The general public cannot be the audience of any promotional activity, whatsoever, of pharmaceutical products. However, with medical devices, the rule in place in the Regulation on the Sales, Advertisement and Promotion of Medical Devices (“Medical Device Promotion Regulation”) notes more confusing regulation. The rule states that medical devices that are sold, adapted or applied in hearing aid centers, custom-made prosthesis and orthotics… »
Cosmetics and Other Products
The packaging and labelling requirements for cosmetic products are regulated under Cosmetic Law numbered 5324 (the “Law”) and the Regulation on Cosmetics (the “Regulation”) of the TITCK of the MoH. In addition to the Law and the Regulation, the Guidelines on the Promotional Activities of Cosmetic Products and the Regulation on the Health Claims of the Products that are Offered for Sale with a Health Claim (“Health Claim Regulation”) are still applicable, which means… »
Personal Health Data Protection
The protection of personal data (including personal health data) is regulated under Personal Data Protection Law (“DPL”) numbered 6698. The DPL provides legal reasons for the processing of personal data and for sensitive personal data (data relating to race, ethnic origin, political beliefs, philosophical beliefs, religion, denomination, or other faiths, clothing and attire, membership of an association, charity or union, criminal convictions, and security measures, as well… »
Dilemma Over Well-Known Trademark Registry Continues in Turkey
We have previously reported on the Turkish Court of Cassation’s decision concluding that the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office has no authority to create and maintain a registry for well-known trademarks and discussed the possible repercussions of this decision for trademark owners (Well-known Trademark Registry Is Again Open for Debate). In this article we will examine how practice has been shaped in the light of this decision, offer tips for brand owners during this… »
Is VR+ a Trademark or a Generic Name?
In Turkey, according to Article 5/1(b) and Article 5/1(c) of Industrial Property Code (“the IP Code”) numbered 6769, respectively, “signs which are devoid of any distinctive character” and “signs which consist exclusively of or includes as an essential element of signs or indications which serve in trade to designate the kind, type, characteristics, quality, quantity, intended purpose, value, geographical origin, or the time of production of the goods or rendering of the… »
Turkish Patent and Trademark Office Updates Trademark Examination Guidelines
On 30 September 2019 the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office issued guidelines regarding the examination standards for trademark applications in terms of absolute grounds, which were the first of their kind under Turkish law. Recently, a new chapter concerning the substantive examination standards for the assessment of confusing similarity has also been published. The new chapter covers the topics below: the concept of ‘likelihood of confusion’; the similarity of goods and… »
Patent Rights on Vaccines: Looking for a Scapegoat for Vaccine Inequity
It is the common goal to get through the pandemic, which endangers the health of all of humanity, and for that, all have been watching for a vaccine and treatment to overcome the pandemic as soon as possible. Scientists have managed to go beyond the known in a considerably short time, and multiple COVID-19 vaccines were developed. At this point, the equal distribution of vaccines emerged as a vital problem that hindered global salvation from this pandemic. While some… »
Supply of Pharmaceutical Products from Abroad and Patent Rights
The supply of pharmaceutical products to Turkey via the Named Patient Programme (the “NPP”) is one of the exceptional importation regimes for pharmaceutical products. Where a pharmaceutical product is not granted marketing authorisation in Turkey, or it is granted marketing authorisation but not found in the market, but patients need it, it can be supplied via this special route by physician request. The entities that are authorised to import pharmaceuticals within the scope… »
Preliminary Injunction Granted to Prevent Indirect Use of Invention
One of the most striking developments of 2020 is a preliminary injunction decision given due to implementing the provision “Prevention of the Indirect Use of Invention” regulated in Article 86 of the IP Code. Although the expression “Indirect Use of Invention” is often confused with the “Indirect Infringement of Patents” concept, indirect patent infringement is not explicitly regulated in our law. Because as is known, the Turkish IP Code numbered 6769 (“IP Code”) lists the… »
Are Clinical Trials Excluded From Patent Protection in Turkey?
The Turkish IP Law (6769) rules on acts that constitute patent infringement and acts that are excluded from patent protection. However, when it comes to evaluating whether clinical trials in Turkey should be excluded from patent rights, it is important to take the experimental use exemption under Article 85/3(b) and the Bolar exemption under Article 85/3(c) into consideration. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. No case law in Turkey clarifies which acts are… »