Expert content, legal guides, industry news — everything you need to know to protect your brand.
This section brings together the core guides that explain trademark registration from start to finish. Who may file an application, which documents are required for individuals and for companies, how the timeline runs from filing to the registration certificate, and what the office does at each stage are set out step by step. The articles are written to be read in order by a business owner going through the process for the first time.
Registration is not a one-off event: protection runs in ten-year terms and lapses if it is not renewed in time. Here you will also find how renewal works, what the ® and ™ symbols mean and when each may be used, and whether owning a domain name creates trademark rights. The aim is to make clear which steps you can handle yourself and where working with an attorney genuinely changes the outcome.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
Copyright protects an original work and arises automatically the moment the work is created; a trademark protects the sign that shows where goods and services come from and arises on registration. We compare duration, scope, transfer and overlaps such as logos in a 10-point table.
A trademark should be registered as soon as the name is final and has passed a preliminary search, before it is shared outside the business and before money is spent on it. In Turkey priority is fixed by the moment of filing; trade fairs, exports and investor meetings mark the latest point to file.
Foreign companies protect a trademark in Turkey either by filing a national application with TÜRKPATENT or by designating Turkey under the Madrid Protocol. An applicant resident abroad can act before the Office only through a registered Turkish trademark attorney; the two routes, 2026 fees and key risks explained.
A deficiency notice starts the two-month period TÜRKPATENT gives you to remedy a gap found in the formal examination. Missing identity details, representation, list or application fee move the filing date to the moment the gap is fixed; if the deadline passes, the application is removed.
The costliest trademark registration mistakes are made in the decisions taken before filing (name, logo, owner, list) and in the deadlines after filing (notifications, oppositions, the registration fee, use, renewal). The warning signs, consequences and fixes for 12 mistakes in one guide.
When choosing a trademark registration firm, first check whether the person handling your file is a trademark attorney listed in the TÜRKPATENT attorney register, then whether the quote separates official fees from the service fee, and whether oppositions, notifications and post-registration work are clearly included.
Registering a logo in Turkey means filing it with TÜRKPATENT as a figurative mark or a combined word-and-device mark. The outcome depends on a correct mark image, a written copyright assignment from the designer and your word-versus-logo strategy; a one-class filing costs TRY 9,830 in official fees in 2026.
After filing, a Turkish trademark application goes through formal examination, classification, absolute-grounds examination, Bulletin publication, a two-month opposition period, any opposition and registration. We explain what is expected of you at each stage and how you can use the mark meanwhile.
A change of name does not invalidate your trademark: the number, representation and priority date are preserved exactly as they are. But as long as the register still shows the old name, renewal, assignment and court proceedings stall. We explain step by step how to record a change of name in the register.
The parties' side of an assignment is quick: the agreement and notary approval are completed within a few days. What sets the timeline is the time TÜRKPATENT takes to examine the recordal. We explain the stage-by-stage timeline, the moments at which the assignment takes effect and the situations that drag the process out.
A trademark assignment in Turkey rests on three pillars: a notarised assignment agreement, recordal in the TÜRKPATENT register and payment of the fee. We walk through the process step by step, the terms the agreement must cover and how a partial assignment works.
If you have missed the renewal window, all is not lost: within the six-month grace period that runs from the expiry of protection, the trademark can still be renewed at a surcharge. If the grace period has also passed, your options change — we explain what can be done at each stage.
Regional products such as Antep pistachios and Malatya apricots are protected by geographical indications. We explain the difference between designations of origin and indications of source, and how to apply.
The priority right lets you carry your first application filing date to other countries for six months. We explain how it works and why it matters so much for exporters.
A trademark is not limited to a name and a logo. Colours, sounds, motion and three-dimensional shapes can be registered too. We explain the requirements and the pitfalls.
Want to see our trademark guides first in Google Search?
If you couldn't find an answer in our blog posts, our trademark experts will be happy to provide personal consultation.
