Register your trademark in Turkiye before you sell there.

In Turkiye, trademark protection comes from registration. A company that sells under an unregistered name risks finding it registered by someone else first. You can file nationally with TÜRKPATENT or designate Turkiye through the Madrid system. Filings are handled by registered Turkish trademark attorneys working with Sonmez Partners.

1. 01

   The rule

   Protection comes from registration.

   Under the Industrial Property Law (No. 6769), trademark rights are obtained by registration. Unregistered prior users and bad-faith filings can be challenged, but only through opposition or court, which is slower and less certain than filing first.

2. 02

   Two routes

   National filing or Madrid.

   You can apply directly to TÜRKPATENT, or extend an existing international registration to Turkiye through the Madrid Protocol. Both give the same protection in Turkiye.

3. 03

   Representation

   Foreign applicants need a local attorney.

   Under Article 160 of Law No. 6769, applicants domiciled outside Turkiye can act before TÜRKPATENT only through a registered trademark or patent attorney. Acts they perform themselves are treated as not performed.

4. 04

   The process

   Examination, publication, opposition.

   • Formal and absolute-grounds examination
   • Publication in the Official Trademark Bulletin
   • A 2-month opposition period from publication
   • Registration if there is no successful opposition
5. 05

   Term

   Ten years, renewable.

   Protection lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed for further 10-year periods. Renewal is due in the 6 months before expiry, with a 6-month grace period for an extra fee.

6. 06

   Use it

   Five years of non-use can cost the mark.

   A mark that is not genuinely used in Turkiye for 5 years after registration, without a justified reason, can be revoked. Fees depend on the number of Nice classes, so choose the classes you will actually use.