# Trademark Status Meanings: What Your Turkish Search Results Really Say

> Trademark status meanings explained: pending, published, opposed, registered, refused, withdrawn, revoked and expired files, and how much each blocks you.

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- Last updated: 2026-09-22
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Trademark status meanings come down to two things: which stage a trademark application or registration has reached in the register kept by TÜRKPATENT (Turkish Patent and Trademark Office), and whether it still gives rise to rights. The rule of thumb is simple: **records at the application, publication, opposition and registration stages are a strong obstacle for you**, while a final refusal, a withdrawal or a lapse usually removes the obstacle — but each of these has its own exception.

Below, we gather the twelve statuses you may meet in search results into a single table, then explain one by one what each means for the question "can I use this name, can I apply for it?"

## What Is a Trademark File Status, and Why Does It Read Differently on Each Screen?

A file status is the label that summarizes a trademark record's latest legal position in the register: is the file under examination, published, registered or ended? The label itself creates no rights; what creates or ends rights is the Office decision, court judgment or statutory deadline behind the label.

The same status can appear in different words on different screens. TÜRKPATENT's search screen, the EPATS file view, e-Devlet and third-party search tools such as Webx's may show the status under their own field names, and some screens show the last action on the file instead of a "status." So the headings below are not exact screen labels but the names of **legal statuses**. Matching the wording you see on screen to one of these statuses is the first step toward reading it correctly.

There is also a time lag: information on public screens can fall behind official actions. If you have a deadline-driven decision to make — for example, calculating an opposition period — the authoritative source is the publication date in the Bulletin and the official notification. We compare what each screen shows in our article on [e-Devlet trademark search and status tracking](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/e-devlet-trademark-search-and-status-tracking).

## Trademark Statuses and Obstacle Levels in One Table

The table below summarizes the legal meaning of each status and the level of obstacle it creates for someone who wants to apply for, or use, an identical or similar name.

| Status | What does it mean? | Obstacle level for you |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pending / under examination | A request exists; no decision yet | High — priority lies with that file |
| Published in the Bulletin | Passed absolute-grounds examination; within the two-month opposition period | High |
| Under opposition | A third-party opposition is awaiting decision | High — outcome uncertain |
| Registered | Protection is in force | High — for the goods and services covered |
| Renewed | Protection extended for another 10 years | High |
| Partially refused | Refused for some goods/services | High for the remaining scope |
| Refused, not final | Appeal or court route still open | Medium — the file is still alive |
| Refused, final | The file has closed permanently | Low — but the refusal ground may apply to you too |
| Withdrawn / removed from processing | The application closed before registration | Low — prior-use rights may survive |
| Surrendered | The owner surrendered the registration in whole or in part | Low for the surrendered scope |
| Invalidated / revoked | Removed from the register by a final decision | Low — depends on the grounds |
| Term of protection expired | 10 years ended, no renewal recorded | Medium — six-month grace period and two-year opposition right |

The obstacle level shows the risk the record creates on its own. A final assessment also looks at the degree of similarity and the overlap in goods and services: a "high" obstacle record in an entirely different sector may pose no practical problem for you.

## Files Still in the Application and Examination Process

A file that is not yet registered is the obstacle people searching most often underestimate. Article 5(1)(ç) of Industrial Property Law No. 6769 (SMK) provides that signs identical to, or indistinguishably similar to, a trademark that has been registered **or applied for at an earlier date** for identical or same-type goods and services will not be registered; Article 6(1) provides for the refusal, upon the earlier applicant's opposition, of applications that create a likelihood of confusion. An earlier application gets ahead of yours even before it is registered.

### Pending or under examination

This status shows that the file is in formal examination or absolute-grounds examination: a request exists, but no decision has been made. At this stage the file may be removed from processing for deficiencies, or refused; but waiting for that to happen is not a strategy. If you are thinking of applying for an identical or very similar name, this file will be assessed before yours and has priority. We describe the order of the stages, and what the applicant can do at each, in our article on [what happens after filing a trademark application](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/what-happens-after-filing-a-trademark-application).

### Published in the Bulletin (within the opposition period)

Publication shows that the application has passed the Office's absolute-grounds examination and is open to third-party opposition. Under Article 18 SMK, an opposition must be filed in writing, with reasons, within **two months** of publication, and the opposition fee must be paid within the same period. This status means different things to different parties: for someone who wants to use or apply for a similar name, the file is a strong obstacle; for the owner of an earlier mark, it is a time-limited opportunity, because once the period lapses the route of opposing the publication closes. We explain how to read and follow the Bulletin in our guide to the [Official Trademark Bulletin](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/turkish-official-trademark-bulletin).

### Under opposition

This status shows that an opposition was filed on time against the published application and the Office's decision is pending. The applicant is asked for its observations; if the mark on which the opposition is based had been registered in Turkey for at least five years on the application's filing date, the applicant can require the opponent to prove use (Article 19(2) SMK). The outcome may be rejection of the opposition or refusal of the application in part or in full (Article 19(3)). For an outsider, this is a live file with an uncertain outcome; choosing a mark close to a name two parties are already fighting over means risking two separate obstacles.

## Registered and Renewed Trademarks

The registered status shows that the mark has completed every stage, been entered in the register and that protection is in force; this is the highest obstacle level. Protection, however, covers only the goods and services within the scope of the registration. The same name being registered in an unrelated sector does not, except for well-known marks, automatically block you in your own field. We cover how to confirm whether a trademark is actually protected today in our article on [how to check if a trademark is registered](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/how-to-check-if-a-trademark-is-registered).

The weak point of a registered mark is use. Under Article 9 SMK, a mark that has not been put to genuine use without good reason within five years of registration, or whose use has been suspended for an uninterrupted period of five years, can be revoked by the Office upon request (Article 26). If a registration older than five years stands in your way and there is no trace of it in the market, that may be a way forward.

The renewed status shows that the term of protection has been extended for another 10 years. Under Article 23(5) SMK, a renewal takes effect from the day after the previous term of protection ended; a renewed mark therefore has no gap in protection, and its obstacle level is the same as that of a registered mark. Remember too that renewal can be partial (Article 23(3)): the scope of a renewed mark may be narrower than the original registration.

## Refused Files: Partial, Non-Final and Final Refusals

A refusal does not mean that the file is completely finished. You first need to look at the scope of the refusal, and then at whether it has become final.

### Partially refused

Articles 16(1) and 19(3) SMK provide that a refusal may be issued for **some or all** of the goods and services covered by the application. After a partial refusal, the file continues for the goods and services that were not refused. For your search, this means the obstacle remains fully in place for the remaining scope, while for the refused part the file is no obstacle. We examine the applicant's options after a partial refusal in our article on the [partial refusal of a trademark application](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/partial-refusal-of-a-trademark-application).

### Refused but not yet final

Under Article 20 SMK, a refusal can be appealed to the Office within **two months** of notification; the appeal is examined by the Re-examination and Evaluation Board (YİDK), which issues the final decision (Article 21). The Board's decision can in turn be challenged before the Ankara Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Civil Court (Article 156(2)). Until these routes are exhausted or their deadlines pass, the refusal is not final; even if the file appears on screen with wording like "refused," it is alive and may still end in registration after an appeal or lawsuit.

### Refused and final

If the appeal and court routes have been exhausted or their deadlines missed, the refusal becomes final and the file closes permanently; it no longer carries any priority right. Even so, the ground for refusal may apply to you as well. If the file was refused for being descriptive, the same word will meet the same obstacle in your application; if it was refused because of an earlier mark, that earlier mark is still on the register. Read a final refusal not as "the road is clear" but as "read the grounds." Also allow for the possibility that the applicant is still using the name in practice: rights arising from unregistered use (Article 6(3)) do not show up in the register.

## Withdrawn, Removed and Surrendered Files

What these three statuses have in common is that the file closed either by its owner's choice or because an obligation was not met; the difference lies in the stage at which it closed and with what consequence.

- **Withdrawn:** Under Article 28(5) SMK, the applicant can withdraw the application before the mark is registered. The file closes, and its priority right ends with it.
- **Removed from processing:** An application is removed from processing for reasons such as failing to remedy formal deficiencies within the two-month period (Article 15(3)) or failing to submit proof of payment of the registration fee in time (Article 22(1)). The result is similar to a withdrawal: the file closed before reaching registration.
- **Surrendered:** Under Article 28(3), the owner of a registered mark can surrender it, in writing, in whole or for some of its goods and services; the surrender takes effect from the date it is recorded in the register. In a partial surrender, the mark stays registered for the remaining scope.

As register obstacles, these records carry low risk. However, the owner of a closed file may have re-filed for the same name; always check whether a new record exists alongside the old file. If a business is still using the name in the market, oppositions based on unregistered use may also come into play.

## Invalidated and Revoked Trademarks

Invalidation and revocation are two different ways of removing a registered mark from the register, and their effects reach back to different dates. Invalidation (Article 25 SMK) is ordered by a court and applies where the mark should never have been registered in the first place; under Article 27(1), the decision takes effect **from the filing date**, and protection is deemed never to have arisen. Revocation (Article 26), by contrast, is ordered by TÜRKPATENT upon request, for reasons that arise later, such as non-use, becoming a generic name or being misleading; under Article 27(2), it generally takes effect **from the date the revocation request was filed with the Office**.

Three points matter for your search. First, the mark is removed from the register and the fact is published in the Bulletin only after the decision becomes final (Article 27(7)); a pending lawsuit or revocation request may not show on the search screen. Second, invalidation and revocation can be partial; the mark may survive for some goods and services (Articles 25(5) and 26(5)). Third, the grounds matter: if the mark was invalidated because of someone else's earlier right, that earlier right is an obstacle for you too. We explain both routes in detail in our article on [trademark invalidation and revocation](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-invalidation-and-revocation).

## Expired Trademarks: The Grace Period and the Two-Year Opposition Right

The expired status shows that the 10-year term running from the filing date has ended and no renewal has been recorded. That does not mean the mark has simply "fallen free"; there are three distinct periods:

1. **Six-month grace period (Article 23(2) SMK):** The owner can renew, for an additional fee, within six months of the date the term of protection ended. Because the renewal takes effect from the day after the previous term ended (Article 23(5)), the mark is treated as protected retroactively without interruption. A record in this period should be treated as a registered mark in practice.
2. **Two-year opposition right (Article 6(8) SMK):** If the grace period also passes, the trademark right ends; however, an application for an identical or similar mark covering identical or similar goods and services, filed within two years of the lapse, is refused upon the former owner's opposition — provided the former owner used the mark during those two years.
3. **After two years:** The register obstacle disappears; but if the former owner is still using the name in practice, oppositions based on unregistered use and unfair competition claims may arise.

We explain how the same process looks from the side of an owner who missed the renewal in our article on [what happens if you miss the trademark renewal deadline](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/missed-trademark-renewal-deadline).

## 5 Mistakes People Make When Reading a Status

When trademark file statuses are misread, the same list can lead two different people to two opposite decisions. The five most common mistakes are:

- **Looking only at the status label.** The same label means an entirely different risk for different goods and services; do not decide without reading the classes and the list.
- **Treating "refused" as final.** A refusal that is not yet final can turn into a registration through appeal and court routes.
- **Calculating the term from the registration date.** Protection runs from the filing date; a calculation based on the registration date can be off by months.
- **Treating the screen as the official record.** Public screens can be updated with a delay; for deadline-driven actions, the Bulletin and official notification prevail.
- **Not looking for a newer file after a closed one.** The owner of a withdrawn or removed application may have re-filed for the same name.

## What Should You Do After Seeing a Status?

A status label is a starting point, not a decision. These five steps turn the record you have found into a concrete decision:

1. Match the wording on screen to one of the twelve legal statuses above.
2. Compare the record's classes and list of goods and services with your own business.
3. Calculate the term from the filing date; if 10 years have passed, check the grace period and the two-year window.
4. For closed files, research the grounds for refusal or closure and any new applications by the same owner.
5. If the decision has serious consequences (an application, an investment, an opposition), confirm with the register entry and get an expert assessment.

We set out step by step how to search for your own name in our guide on [how to do a trademark search](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/how-to-do-a-trademark-search). To see results on a single screen, you can read the "Status" column of our [free trademark search tool](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/marka-sorgulama) together with the table in this article.

## Conclusion

Read correctly, trademark status meanings tell you whether a record is legally alive and how much of an obstacle it is for you. Key takeaways:

- Files at the application, publication and opposition stages are as strong an obstacle as registered marks.
- A registered mark is protected only for the goods and services on its list; a registration unused for five years can be revoked.
- A refusal closes a file only once it becomes final; the ground for refusal may still apply to you.
- An expired mark can be renewed for six months, and is then open to the former owner's opposition for another two years.
- Screen labels vary from tool to tool; what matters is the legal status behind the label.

### Shall we interpret your search result together?

Send us the application number or a screenshot of the record you found through our [contact page](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/iletisim). Our team, which works with trademark attorneys authorized before TÜRKPATENT, will assess the file's real status, how much of an obstacle it is for you, and the steps you can take — opposition, a revocation request, narrowing the scope or changing the name.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I read the status if the screen only shows the last action?

Some screens show not the legal status but the last action taken on the file, such as a notification, a fee payment or a recordal request. In that case, look at which stage the last action belongs to: an action relating to publication indicates that the file is at the opposition stage, while one relating to renewal indicates that it is registered. If you are unsure, read the file's full history from start to finish or confirm with the register entry.

### How often is status information updated?

Status information on public screens can lag behind official actions, and the update speed varies from screen to screen. Use the label on screen as preliminary information. For decisions tied to deadlines, the authoritative sources are the publication date in the Official Trademark Bulletin and the Office's official notification. Before an important decision, it is also good practice to search the same file again a few days apart.

### Can I apply in my own name for a trademark that was refused?

You can, but find out the reason for refusal first. If the mark was refused for being descriptive or lacking distinctiveness, the same word will meet the same result in your application. If it was refused because of an earlier trademark, that obstacle is still on the register. If the refusal related to something specific to the applicant, such as an unpaid fee, the obstacle may have disappeared for you; a similarity search is still essential.

### Can a trademark's status change from registered to something else?

Yes. A registered trademark can lapse for non-renewal, be surrendered by its owner in whole or in part, be revoked by the Office for non-use, or be declared invalid by a court. So do not assume that a record you saw as "registered" a year ago is still registered today; search the status again before any important transaction.

### Can I oppose a trademark whose status is "registered"?

The opposition period runs for two months from the publication of the application in the Bulletin, and that route closes once the mark is registered. Against a registered mark, different routes apply: requesting revocation from TÜRKPATENT on grounds such as non-use, becoming a generic name or being misleading, or filing an invalidation action in court arguing that the registration was flawed from the outset. Which route fits depends on the grounds.

### How do I read the status of international registrations coming through Madrid?

International registrations designating Turkey have two separate layers: the international registration itself at WIPO, and TÜRKPATENT's decision on protection for Turkey. Even if the international registration is in force, protection for Turkey may have been refused or granted only in part. For such records, you need to check both the status in the Turkish register and WIPO's records.

### If several records appear under the same name, which should I look at?

All of them, but give priority to records that cover goods and services identical or similar to your business and whose status is live: pending, published, opposed, registered and renewed files. Do not skip closed records either; seeing the same owner's old and new applications side by side helps you understand the history of the name and how determined its owner is.

### What happens if I start using a name while someone else's application is pending?

Starting to use a name identical or similar to someone else's pending application is risky. If the application proceeds to registration, its owner can bring a damages claim for use that took place after the application was published in the Bulletin; the court then rules once the registration is published. Money spent on signage, packaging and advertising while the application is pending can turn into a cost you may have to write off entirely.

## Related Resources

- [Trademark Search](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/marka-sorgulama): Provides a free tool and method for checking whether a brand name is registrable by searching similar and registered trademarks.
- [Trademark Watch](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/marka-izleme): Covers monitoring similar applications published in the Official Trademark Bulletin and reporting them before the opposition period ends.
- [How to Check If a Trademark Is Registered in Turkey: 6 Reliable Methods](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/how-to-check-if-a-trademark-is-registered): How to check if a trademark is registered in Turkey: 6 methods, from the TÜRKPATENT search screen to a register extract (TRY 2,890), plus a decision table.
- [Partial Refusal of a Trademark Application in Turkey: What to Do Next](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/partial-refusal-of-a-trademark-application): A partial refusal of a trademark in Turkey removes only some goods and services. Appeal within 2 months, division, consent letters and other options compared.
- [What Happens After Filing a Trademark Application in Turkey? 7 Stages](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/what-happens-after-filing-a-trademark-application): What happens after filing a trademark application in Turkey: formal check, absolute grounds, Bulletin, 2-month opposition and the TRY 7,010 registration fee.
- [Can a Registered Trademark Be Cancelled?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-invalidation-and-revocation): Can a registered trademark be cancelled? Revocation for non-use, grounds of invalidity, the transfer of revocation powers to TÜRKPATENT in 2024, and acquiescence.
- [What Happens If You Miss the Trademark Renewal Deadline?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/missed-trademark-renewal-deadline): A missed trademark renewal has a six-month grace period; once that passes, the right ends. Late renewal fees, the two-year opposition right and refiling options.
- [How to Search and Track Your Trademark on e-Devlet](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/e-devlet-trademark-search-and-status-tracking): How to search for a trademark on e-Devlet: viewing marks in your name, tracking application status, the TÜRKPATENT search screen, and reading the results.