Turkish Trademark Registry Undertakes Significant Reforms

ANKARA – Statistics from Turkish Patent Institute show that the year 2012 witnessed the highest number of trademark applications filed in Turkey, which ranks Turkey to be the country in which highest number of applications are made in Europe.

A total of 125000 applications were filed in 2012 compared to the number of applications filed in 2011.

In order to meet the increasing demand for trademark applications in Turkey, the Trademark Registry has been planning to take the necessary measures in order to enhance the current capabilities of the online system and the scope of procedures that could be processed online.

A significant reform resulted from the meeting recently organized and gathered Turkish Patent and Trademark Attorney’s Association and Turkish Patent Institute which discussed the proposed developments including administrative procedures especially in the registration process.

In keeping up with the reform, the overall process for trademarks, patents and industrial designs will be shortened, and the certificates of registration for trademarks will be issued online. Notifications to be issued by the Patent Institute will be sent online, and all petitions of opposition, response and appeal will be also filed online.

Another important reform deals with trademarks; the process of trademark registration will be shortened to be seven months instead of 12 months.

In addition, the Registry is planning to publish trademark applications on a daily basis as applied by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) rather than publishing monthly trademark bulletins.