Registering a logo in Turkey means filing it with TÜRKPATENT (Turkish Patent and Trademark Office) as a figurative mark, or as a combined mark in which the wording and the graphic are protected together, and having it entered in the trademark register. The procedure follows the same path as a word mark; the differences arise at three points: preparing the image submitted with the application (the mark image) correctly, obtaining the logo's copyright from the designer in writing, and deciding whether the brand name should also be protected separately.
Below you will find the distinction between figurative and combined marks, the seven-step filing route, the rules for the mark image, the copyright assignment, the effect of descriptive elements inside a logo, and a cost comparison of word-and-logo strategies based on the 2026 official fees.
What Is Logo Registration? Figurative Marks vs Combined Marks
Registering a logo is not a separate type of right; it is trademark registration applied to a sign that contains a graphic. Article 4 of Industrial Property Law No. 6769 (SMK) lists words, figures, colors, letters and numbers side by side among the signs that can constitute a trademark, so your logo can be registered as long as it is a combination of these elements. The structure in which you file the logo determines the boundaries of protection.
Figurative mark (logo without wording)
A figurative mark is a sign consisting solely of graphic elements, such as a figure, emblem, symbol or abstract form, with no legible word. What is protected is the drawing itself. Figurative elements are coded in the register using an international system called the Vienna Classification, which is why searching for them works differently from searching for word marks.
Combined mark (word + device)
A combined mark is a sign in which a word element and a figurative element are presented as a single composition. Typical logos, where the name appears in a distinctive typeface together with an emblem, fall into this group. Protection for a combined mark rests on the overall impression of the whole; in a similarity assessment, however, the word element usually carries more weight, because consumers mostly remember a brand by its name.
How it differs from a word mark
A word mark protects the name itself, independently of any design. We explained why that protection is broader in our article on trademark registration without a logo. Here it is enough to note one point: if your logo contains a brand name, registering the logo does not protect that name as broadly as a stand-alone word mark would.
How Do You Register a Logo, Step by Step?
The filing route consists of seven steps. The first three are taken before you file, and they are also the ones that shape the outcome most.
- Finalize the logo. Once the application is filed, the mark image cannot be changed; Article 11(6) SMK only permits the correction of spelling mistakes and obvious errors that do not alter the mark image or the list of goods and services. If the design is still being refined, postponing the filing by a few weeks is better than registering the wrong image.
- Secure the copyright. Obtain a written assignment of the economic rights from the agency or freelance designer who created the logo; details below.
- Run a search. Check both the word in the logo and the figurative element. Even if the word comes back clear, the figure may resemble someone else's figurative mark; a logo and trademark search lets you check both layers together. We explain how figures without wording are searched through their figurative codes in our guide to trademark logo searches.
- Prepare the list of goods and services. The activities for which the logo will be used are placed in classes under the Nice Classification; the number of classes directly determines the fee.
- Upload the mark image and file. The application is filed through EPATS, TÜRKPATENT's online filing system, via an e-Devlet (Turkey's e-government portal) login, or through a trademark attorney; the application fee is paid with the filing.
- Monitor examination, publication and the opposition period. An application that passes the formal examination and the examination on absolute grounds is published in the Official Trademark Bulletin (Resmî Marka Bülteni); a two-month opposition period runs from publication (Article 18 SMK).
- Pay the registration fee on time. After the decision to register, if proof of payment is not submitted within the time limit, the application is removed from processing (Article 22 SMK); once payment is complete, the logo is entered in the register.
How Should the Mark Image (Logo Artwork) Be Prepared?
The mark image is the visual form of the sign that will be entered in the register, and it is the only document that draws the boundaries of protection. Article 4 SMK requires the sign to be capable of being represented in the register in a way that makes the subject matter of protection clear and precise. A blurry, multi-part or ambiguous image strains that requirement and makes the scope of protection uncertain.
Practical rules for the image you upload:
- One image, one mark: Under Article 11(2) SMK, each application may seek registration of only one trademark. Do not place the horizontal and stacked versions of the logo, or the icon and the wordmark, side by side in the same image; each is a separate sign.
- The version you will actually use: The image should reflect the form in which the logo will be used in the market. The larger the gap between what is registered and what is used, the harder it becomes to prove use later on.
- Sharp, high resolution: Thin lines, small text and color gradients must not disappear when reduced in size. Do not use screenshots or heavily compressed files.
- Clean background: Only the logo itself, rather than a photo of a shop sign, a product mockup or a decorative background.
- No extras: Remove elements that are not part of the logo, such as ®, ™, a web address, a phone number or a founding year; every element in the image counts as part of the mark.
- Non-Latin characters: If the logo contains Arabic, Cyrillic or other non-Latin characters, their equivalent in the Latin alphabet must be provided in the application (Article 11(1)(f) SMK).
The Logo's Copyright: Why Do You Need an Assignment From the Designer?
An entry in the trademark register does not mean that you own the copyright in the logo; the two rights operate independently. Unless agreed otherwise in writing, the person who drew the logo keeps the economic rights in the work, and that can directly threaten your trademark application.
Under Article 6(6) SMK, if the mark applied for contains another person's copyright or any other intellectual property right, the application is refused upon that right holder's opposition. A designer whose payment or scope of engagement is still in dispute can oppose the Bulletin publication on this ground; for a registered trademark, the same ground can support an invalidation claim before the courts (Article 25 SMK).
Article 52 of the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works No. 5846 (FSEK) requires contracts and dispositions concerning economic rights to be in writing and the rights concerned to be specified individually. An email saying "all rights are yours" or a verbal understanding does not meet this requirement. What you need to do depends on who drew the logo:
- Freelance designer or agency: A written assignment agreement is essential. Economic rights such as reproduction, distribution, adaptation and communication to the public should be listed one by one, and the agreement should state expressly that the assignment is unlimited in time and territory.
- Your own employee: Under Article 18(2) FSEK, unless otherwise provided by a specific contract or the nature of the work, the rights in works created by employees in the course of their duties are exercised by the employer. Even so, an explicit clause in the employment contract and the job description makes this easier to prove.
- Ready-made template or stock graphic: These licenses usually do not grant exclusive use, and some expressly restrict use as a logo or trademark. Because someone else may be using the same template, filing with such a logo carries a high risk.
- Logo generated with an AI tool: The tool's terms of use and the risk of similarity to existing logos are reviewed separately; we cover this in our article on whether AI-generated logos can be trademarked.
We compare how the two rights arise, how long they last and what they protect in our guide to trademark vs copyright.
How Do Descriptive Elements in a Logo Affect Registration?
A descriptive word or figure inside a logo is not protected on its own, even if the logo is registered. Article 5(1)(c) SMK bars the registration of signs consisting exclusively or mainly of indications of the kind, quality, intended purpose or geographical origin of the goods. Designing a logo around such a word decorates it, but does not make it distinctive. Three typical set-ups come up in practice.
Descriptive word + original device
Picture a café logo in which the words "KAHVE EVİ" ("coffee house" in Turkish) are combined with an original emblem (a made-up example). Registration is often possible thanks to the distinctive device, but protection is tied to the whole. It is difficult to use this registration to stop a competitor from using the same words with a different emblem, because no word has been reserved for you.
Descriptive word + commonplace device
A standard typeface, a simple circle or a symbol that is routine in the sector (a cup for a café, a tooth for a dental clinic) adds no distinctiveness. In this set-up the application may be refused for lack of distinctive character (Article 5(1)(b)) or for being descriptive (Article 5(1)(c)).
Distinctive word + descriptive additions
In a logo such as "NORDİKA TEKSTİL" (a made-up example), the distinctive core word does the real work; additions such as "textile", "group", a city name or a founding year do not broaden protection. In this set-up, protecting the core word separately as a word mark delivers the strongest result.
The rule is simple: descriptive elements in a logo remain outside the scope of protection and carry little weight in a similarity comparison. Distinctiveness must come either from an original word or from a genuinely original visual composition.
Should the Name and the Logo Be Registered Separately or Together?
If the budget allows, the strongest set-up is to register the brand name as a word mark and to register the logo separately as a figurative or combined mark. Because each application covers only one trademark under Article 11(2) SMK, this means two applications and two sets of fees. Here is how the options compare using the 2026 official fees:
| Option | What does it protect? | 1 class (official total) | 2 classes (official total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined mark only (name + logo in one application) | The composition as a whole; does not protect the name independently of the design | 2,820 + 7,010 = TRY 9,830 | 2,820 + 2,820 + 7,010 = TRY 12,650 |
| Word mark only | The name in any typeface and color; does not protect the logo's figure | TRY 9,830 | TRY 12,650 |
| Figurative mark only (figure without wording) | Only the figure; does not protect the name | TRY 9,830 | TRY 12,650 |
| Word mark + separate logo application | The name independently and the logo as visual identity | 2 × 9,830 = TRY 19,660 | 2 × 12,650 = TRY 25,300 |
The amounts are the sum of the application fee (item 02.01.01), the second-class fee (02.01.02) and the registration fee (02.01.03) under TÜRKPATENT's 2026 schedule of trademark fees; as a rule, TRY 3,150 (02.01.28) is added for each third and subsequent class. Attorney service fees are not included. Current amounts should always be checked against the TÜRKPATENT fee schedule, because it is updated every year. All the items are covered in our article on trademark registration fees in Turkey for 2026.
Add the ten-year view to the calculation: two separate registrations mean two separate renewals every ten years (TRY 8,730 for up to two classes in 2026, item 02.01.23). Roughly, the options make sense in these situations:
- If the budget covers one application and the name is distinctive: File the word mark first; the logo can be added later with a separate application.
- If the name is close to descriptive: A word mark may be refused; if the visual composition carries the distinctiveness, a combined mark may be the realistic route, but protection will remain narrow.
- If the figure is the recognized face of the brand: It pays to protect figures that are used without wording, such as an app icon or an emblem on the product, separately as figurative marks.
- If the logo is refreshed often: The word mark becomes the fixed core and the logo registrations the layer that gets updated; each redesign only requires a new logo application.
Should the Logo Be Filed in Color or in Black and White?
The colors in which you submit the mark image determine the color dimension of protection: a logo filed in color is entered in the register in those colors. If color is not an essential part of the brand identity and you will use the logo in different colors on different backgrounds, a black-and-white filing can offer flexibility; if color is part of what makes the mark distinctive, a color filing comes to the fore. How far a black-and-white registration covers use in color is a debated question; we set out the options with a decision table in our article on whether to register a logo in color or in black and white. Protecting a color on its own is a different type of mark altogether and follows the rules for color trademark registration.
What Rights Does a Registered Logo Give You?
A registered logo gives its owner the right to prohibit unauthorized use of an identical or similar sign for identical or similar goods and services (Article 7(2) SMK). The uses that can be prohibited include affixing the sign to goods or packaging, using it in advertising and business papers, using it online as a domain name or keyword, and using it as a trade name or business name (Article 7(3)).
The limits of that protection should be understood just as clearly:
- Protection is aimed at uses that create a likelihood of confusion among consumers; it does not extend to every image that shares a remote motif with your logo.
- Others may continue to use, in good faith, the descriptive wording in your logo to describe the kind or characteristics of goods (Article 7(5)).
- The rights take effect as of the publication of the registration; damages can be claimed for acts committed after the application is published in the Bulletin, but the court cannot rule before the registration is published (Article 7(4)).
The registration certificate also serves as the basis for your logo in practical settings such as marketplace brand registry programs and applications to customs against counterfeit goods.
What Happens to the Registration if the Logo Changes Later?
Changing the logo does not cancel the existing registration, but the image in the register cannot be updated: no correction that alters the image can be made after filing, and there is no "logo update" procedure after registration either. Minor refinements count as use of the registered mark as long as its distinctive character is not altered (Article 9(2)(a) SMK); a redesign that changes the identity requires a new application. We walk through the scenarios in our guide to logo changes and trademark registration.
Summary
Key points to remember:
- Registering a logo means entering it in the TÜRKPATENT register as a figurative or combined mark; the procedure goes through the same stages as a word mark.
- The mark image must be a single, sharp image of the version you will actually use; it cannot be changed after filing.
- Obtain a written assignment of the economic rights from the designer, listing each right individually; otherwise you face the risk of an Article 6(6) SMK opposition and of invalidation.
- Descriptive elements in a logo are not protected; distinctiveness has to come from an original word or an original visual composition.
- The strongest set-up is to protect the name as a word mark and the logo with a separate application; in 2026 the official total for each one-class application is TRY 9,830.
Would you like to get your logo ready for registration?
Share your logo and your field of business through our contact page. Our team, which works with trademark attorneys authorized before TÜRKPATENT, will search the word and figurative elements separately, prepare the mark image for filing and recommend a word-and-logo strategy that fits your budget. You can review the scope of our trademark registration in Turkey service, which covers the whole process from filing to registration, on the service page.
