Expert content, legal guides, industry news — everything you need to know to protect your brand.
The Webx blog explains trademark and intellectual property procedures the way they actually work in practice. The articles here cover every stage in the life of a trademark: pre-filing similarity research, choosing the right class, examination by TÜRKPATENT, opposition to publication and the routes available against a refusal, the use requirement after registration, renewal, assignment and licensing. Everything is written against Industrial Property Law No. 6769 and TÜRKPATENT's current practice, and articles are updated when the legislation or the office's practice changes.
The posts are grouped so you can find what you need quickly. Start with Guides to learn the process end to end, use Trademark Classes to decide where to file, turn to Refusals & Oppositions if your application was rejected or someone opposed your mark, read Legal for infringement and litigation, and see International for protection abroad. Questions specific to your sector or company structure live under By Industry and For Businesses, while budgeting is covered in Pricing.
These articles are general information and do not replace advice on your own file. If you want to know which route fits your brand, start with a free preliminary search.
An annual IP audit means building a current inventory of your trademarks, patents and designs, putting the coming renewal and annual fee dates on a calendar, and reviewing ownershi...
Whether a payment request about your trademark is official is shown by your file, not the request: TÜRKPATENT does not call to demand fees. Check in EPATS or e-Devlet whether the procedure is really due, check the amount against the fee schedule, and confirm payment with your attorney through a known channel.
A domain name in a generic extension such as .com can be claimed back through the UDRP, and one in a .tr extension such as .com.tr through TRABİS's dispute resolution mechanism. Both routes require proof of similarity, lack of rights and bad faith; the only outcome is cancellation or transfer. Damages require a court.
As of 2026, Google does not restrict the use of a trademark as a keyword; a trademark complaint mainly stops use of the mark in ad text. Keyword use itself is assessed under SMK Art. 7(3)(d) through a cease-and-desist letter and litigation. This guide covers evidence, the complaint and the legal steps.
A patentability search answers "Is my invention new, can I get a patent?" by looking at information from around the world. A freedom-to-operate analysis answers "If I make or sell this product in that country, will I infringe someone else's patent?" by looking only at the claims of patents in force.
An invention disclosed to the public before filing can lose its novelty. Turkey tolerates disclosures by the inventor made within 12 months before filing; the European patent system has no general grace period, while the US allows 1 year. The safest route is to file first and talk later.
Packaging is not protected by a single right: the name and logo by trademark registration, the bottle or box shape and label layout by design registration, artwork and text by copyright, and the overall get-up by unfair competition rules. File the trademark once the name is final, the design before first disclosure.
Sharing a product before registration discloses the design. In Turkey, filing within 12 months of the first disclosure keeps novelty intact; if that period ends, or someone else publishes a similar design meanwhile, protection is at risk. The EU has a 12-month period, the US a one-year rule.
A Madrid provisional refusal is notice, via WIPO, that the Office of a country you designated cannot protect your mark there in whole or in part. It is not final: within the stated time limit you can respond to that Office, usually through a local attorney, limit the scope or accept the refusal.
If your foreign distributor registers your trademark in its own name, you may be unable to sell under your own brand there. Paris Convention Art. 6septies allows opposition, cancellation and, in some countries, assignment; the safest route is to register in the target country first and put trademark clauses in writing.
IP due diligence in a company acquisition means determining how the deal structure affects the rights, verifying the seller's inventory through independent registry checks, examining the chain of title that the registry does not show, and tying every risk either to the price or to a contractual protection.
Rights in works and designs an employee creates as part of their job generally belong to the employer; for inventions, the employer must claim its rights in writing within four months. For work by freelance designers, agencies and consultants, rights do not pass automatically; a written contract is required.
In contract manufacturing, register the trademark in your own name before the production relationship begins, take a written assignment of the packaging design rights from the agency, and write the ownership, confidentiality and end-of-contract fate of assets such as molds and recipes into the manufacturing agreement.
Under Art. 9(3) of Law No. 6563 and its Regulation, the trademark owner applies to the marketplace with the registration certificate, evidence and listing URL; the platform removes the product within 48 hours at the latest. Build a strong file from the start to withstand the seller's objection.
In proof of use, every piece of evidence should show four things: date, mark, goods or services, and place in Turkey. The evidence must cover the correct five-year period, the places where the mark appears must be marked, and everything must be submitted with a numbered, annotated list within the one-month period.
Since January 10, 2024, revocation of a trademark not put to genuine use for five years from registration is requested from TÜRKPATENT. The request covers one mark, filed on a form with the fee and deposit paid together; the owner gets one month to reply (plus one more on request) and bears the burden of proving use.
File with TÜRKPATENT via EPATS, with views, the product name and designer details. The Office examines formalities and novelty; a design not refused is registered and published in the Bulletin, followed by a 3-month opposition period. Protection lasts up to 25 years in 5-year terms.
When a similar trademark comes up, first determine whether the record is identical or similar, whether the goods and services overlap, what stage it is at and how old it is. Then choose one of seven options: rename, differentiate, narrow, revoke, obtain consent, buy, or file knowing the risk.
An NDA (non-disclosure agreement) is a confidentiality agreement that ensures shared confidential information is not used outside a defined purpose or disclosed to third parties. We explain one-way and mutual NDAs, the key clauses, penalty clauses and what an NDA cannot protect.
An abstract idea is not protected on its own; the form it takes is. Names and logos fall under trademarks, technical solutions under patents, appearance under designs, text and code under copyright, and confidential know-how under trade secrets and NDAs. A roadmap with a decision table and a 7-step checklist.
Under SMK Art. 152, the resale of genuine goods placed on the market by the trademark owner or with its consent falls outside the scope of the trademark right. We explain the limits for parallel imports, second-hand and refurbished goods, repackaging and marketplace sellers.
A patent application is filed with TÜRKPATENT through EPATS, with a description, claims, abstract and drawings; a search must be requested within 12 months and examination within 3 months of the search report. A patent is granted only after examination and lasts 20 years from filing. Steps, deadlines and 2026 fees.
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