Insights
Promotion of Medical Devices
With medicines, the rule is clear: The general public cannot be the audience to 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”) has caused confusion in the past. The rule states that medical devices that must exclusively be applied by healthcare personnel, and those that are included in the… »
Cosmetics
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 and personal health data is regulated under Personal Data Protection Law (“DPL”) numbered 6698. The DPL provides that the general rule for the processing of personal data is that such data may only be processed with the explicit consent of the data subject. As 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… »
Assignment of Copyrights
Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works No. 5846 (the “LIAW”) takes a very formalistic approach regarding the transfer of copyrights arising from these types of work. Under the Turkish copyright law, the general principle is that the person who actually creates a work is the author of that work. The “work made for hire” concept is not accepted under Turkish law. The right transfers should be made in writing, once the work is embodied, indicating, expressly, which rights are… »
Notice and Takedown Procedure for Copyright Protection
Copyrights are amongst the most infringed-upon rights in the internet environment. On this account, Turkey applies a notice and takedown system in online copyright infringement cases as a practical tool, which is also widely recognized in many jurisdictions around the globe. In Turkey, copyrights are protected under Law on Literary and Artistic Works No. 5846 (“Law No. 5846”). According to Law No. 5846, if a work is adapted, duplicated and circulated, performed or broadcast… »
Fair Use Doctrine
Intellectual Property Law, in principle, rewards the creativity of owners by granting them privileged rights on related works within the scope of copyright legislations, and prohibits reproduction, transmission, representation or use of the work in other ways, without the consent of the owner. On the other hand, the “Fair Use” doctrine, which basically finds application in Anglo-Saxon legal systems, allows limited use on copyrighted work without the permission of the right… »
Compensation Liability for Copyright Infringement
The author or the owner of a work is entitled to claim compensation in the case of violation of economic and moral rights arising from the ownership of the work protected under Law No. 5846, the Intellectual and Artistic Works (the “LIAW”), in addition to other legal remedies. Article 70 of the LIAW regulates the compensation that may be claimed based on violation of economic and moral rights, separately. Accordingly, the author whose moral rights have been infringed, is… »
Copyrights Overlapping other IP rights
The overlapping of copyrights with other IP rights, in particular, with trademarks and designs, is a common case in many jurisdictions, including Turkey. It refers to the protection of an intellectual creation under both copyright law and trademark or design law. In Turkey, an intellectual creation benefits from cumulative protection, if it simultaneously fulfils the criteria to be protected as a copyrighted work under Law of Literary and Artistic Works No. 5846 (“Law No.… »
Protection of TV Program Formats in Turkish Law
Regardless of being intellectual creations that are of great importance for the television production sector, program formats lack clear definition within the scope of Turkish law, as well as a broadly accepted assessment of their legal characteristics. Uğur Çolak, a former member of the Istanbul District Court, defined program formats as “Frameworks or outlines for programs transmitted by any broadcast format, including digital communications, which demonstrate how each… »
Comparative Advertising under Turkish Law
Comparative advertising under Turkish Law has been allowed for many years. However, the definition of comparative advertising has been introduced into Turkish law for the first time as “advertisements used for the promotion of goods or services, in which elements concerning goods or services of a competitor are directly or indirectly used,” by the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices (‘’Advertising Regulation’’), which entered into force after… »
Testimonial Advertisement and Burden of Proof
It is the main principle that all advertisements should be accurate, honest, and the accuracy of claims is required to be proven. In practice, it is crucial to determine whether the advertisement is accurate and is not misleading. There is no legal definition under Turkish Law for misleading advertising, while misleading advertising is strictly prohibited. Within general practices, misleading advertising is interpreted as advertisements giving false information to consumers… »
Restricted Advertising of Certain Category of Food
In Turkish advertising legislation, there is detailed and restricting rules for advertisements intended for children. The aim for these rules is to protect children against any kind of advertising that abuses their lack of knowledge and experience. It is clearly stated in the Adverting Regulation that advertisements that are likely to abuse children’s lack of knowledge and experience are strictly prohibited. The Advertisement Board attaches high importance to the protection… »