New Development The Geographical Indication and Traditional Knowledge Logo Regulation (“Regulation“), which was prepared according to Articles 2 and 46 of the Industrial Property Law No. 6769 (“IP Law“) was published on the Official Gazette dated December 29, 2017 and will enter into force on January 10, 2018. What’s New? According to the Regulation, a logo can be used by parties engaged in the production and marketing of the registered geographical indications and traditional knowledge in line with the conditions set forth in the registration certificate. The Regulation regulates the usage of a logo in the geographical indication registered in Turkey as an obligation, but excludes the geographical indications belonging to other countries that should be protected according to the bilateral and multilateral agreements to which Turkey is a party. |
The logo must be visible on the product or package along with the geographical indication and traditional knowledge according to the IP Law provisions. If the logo cannot be used on the product as stated, it should be used in the place of business in a visible way. The appropriate logo for geographical indications and traditional knowledge are indicated in Annex-1 of the Regulation and also can be found from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office’s (“Turkish Patent“) website. It is important for the prospective users that the Regulation prohibits any changes or revisions to the respective logos and it is mandatory to use them as is. Conclusion The aim of the logo usage obligation is to indicate the geographical indication and traditional knowledge registration and enable the supervision of this area. Parties engaged in the production and marketing of the registered geographical indications and traditional knowledge in line with the conditions set forth in the registration certificate should take the required steps regarding the logo usage obligation to comply with the Regulation. |
