Summit on Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0. and Intellectual Property Law to be held on February 12th, 2018


koyu zemin üzerinde renk demeti

"Summit on Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0. and Intellectual Property Law", organized by Research and Application Center for Intellectual and Industrial Rights (FISAUM) of Ankara University in Turkey, will be held on February 12th, 2018. During the summit, the facts of AI and Industry 4.0.will be academically discussed for the first time in Turkey in the context of general legal aspects and of intellectual property law in particular.
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Turkey tops trademark filings in Europe in 2017

üst üste dizilmiş çakış taşları

Prof. Dr. Habib Asan, the President of Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT), has given an interview regarding the industrial property activities and statistics in 2017 to Turkey's official news agency, Anadolu Agency (AA), on 26 January 2017.

Here are the highlights from the President's interview with the AA:
  • Total 121,108 trademark applications, (of which 106,099 are domestic and 15,009 are foreign) were filed last year. 88% of total trademark applications are of native origin and the number of the application increased 13% compared to the previous year 2016. With these figures, Turkey has once again become the country in Europe where the highest numbers of trademark applications were filed the last year.
  • Total of 19,283 patent applications were filed with TURKPATENT in 2017, of which 8,625 are domestic and 10,658 are foreign. With those figures, domestic patent applications increased by 34 percent compared to 2016. The increase rate is a pleasing development, as total 50 thousand patent applications are aimed for till 2023 in parallel to Turkey's 2023 goals declared by the Turkish Government.
  • Total 3,320 utility model applications, of which 3,256 are domestic and 64 are foreign, were filed in 2017.
  • Total 46,853 design applications, of which 39,172 are domestic and 1,066 are foreign (made through WIPO), were filed in 2017 in Turkey.
  • Total 12,424 patent applications (1,964 domestic and 10,460 foreign), 85,573 trademark applications (77,394 domestic and 8,179 foreign), 44,214 design applications (37,280 domestic and 6,934 foreign), and 2,088 utility model applications (2,014 domestic and 74 foreign) were registered in 2017 in Turkey.
  • TURKPATENT performed 7,259 searches and examinationS in 2017.
  • Turkey has issued important laws and regulations in 2017, such as Industrial Property Code.
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Turkish Plant Variety Office has announced its new schedule of fees for 2018.

Tahta masa üzerinde kitaplar, çiçek

Turkish Plant Variety Office (also known as Central Directorate for Seed Registry and Certification (TTSMO)) announces its schedule of fees at the beginning of each year. The Office has announced its new schedule of fees on 17 January 2018. The schedule of fees can be found by clicking here.

The Office has also published a separate announcement regarding the requirement for the payment of annuities of the plant varieties which were registered in the earlier years. It calls the owners of the plant varieties to pay the annuities till 31 January 2018 and inform the Office of the payment. The Office has published a list covering all the registered plant varieties and the required amount of annuities for each registered varieties.
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Twitter's long struggle to register Periscope in Turkey

Periskop
Twitter is not able to register its brand Periscope for live broadcasting and streaming services in Turkey.

The recent court decision has confirmed that the trademark application filed by Twitter for Periscope is not allowable due to earlier registered trademark rights of third parties.

Twitter filed a trademark application in Classes 9, 35, 38, 41, 42, 45 for Periscope in 2015 in Turkey. Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT) only allowed registration of the mark "Periscope" for the services commercial data analysis and commercial advisory in Class 35 after ex-officio decision based on absolute grounds and long opposition proceedings due to oppositions filed by third parties. Subsequently, Twitter filed revocation action against the decision of TURKPATENT before Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Civil Court of Ankara (Court No. 2 - First Instance Court). The First Instance Court has recently confirmed that the decision of TURKPATENT is in place, and refused Twitter's claims. Twitter can bring the case to Second Instance Court for further consideration.

Twitter is currently unable to broadcast under the brand name of Periscope in Turkey. Instead, it uses the brand name Scope, Twitter user name @prscptr and the domain name www.pscp.tv for its live stream and broadcasting services in Turkey due to another ongoing court action (infringement action) filed by a local company holding trademark registration for Periscope in classes 38 and 41 since 2010.
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Turkish Patent and Trademark Office has released a revised version of its Strategy Document setting out its objectives for the next 5 years.

üzerinde strategy yazan kutu

Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT) is regularly preparing and releasing strategy documents setting out objectives and goals every five years.

The Strategy Document for five years had been already issued early last year. However, as the Law regarding the establishment and tasks of the Office changed just at the beginning of the last year (on January 10, 2017), it has become a requirement to revise the Strategy Document issued in 2017 in compliance with the new obligations of TURKPATENTbrought by the new Law.

The revised Strategy Document will be implemented between 2018 and 2022 in order to plan and carry out the works during the subject years.

While preparing the Strategy Document, the plans of earlier years, opinions of the stakeholders, the surveys, and workshops have been taken into consideration.

The Document states that TURKPATENT will perform its objectives and take necessary actions in compliance with its mission and vision statements as quoted below:

Mission
Contributing to the effective protection and commercialization of industrial property rights and serving to the economic and technological development of our country by increasing the awareness of industrial property in all layers of the society and being active in international platforms in the field of industrial property.
 Vision
Being an Office contributing to the improvement of Turkey's intellectual capital and innovation capacity and giving direction to national and international policy in industrial property

The Document specifically emphasizes the values of the TURKPATENT, which are reliability, impartiality, customer orientation, quality, effective and fast service, solution-oriented approach, openness to change and innovation, employee oriented approach, openness to cooperating with stakeholders, efficiency in international relations, accessibility, and states that the objectives of the Plan will be realized on the basis of those values adopted by the Office.

Also, the Document makes a comprehensive analysis regarding the current situation, comprising historical developments, laws in force, services currently provided by the Office, the position of the stakeholders, the inner structure of TURKPATENT, and outside conditions affecting the industrial property in Turkey and around the world.

After comprehensively analyzing the current situation and affairs, the Document sets out the objectives, goals and indicators and strategies. It makes 5 objectives as summarized below:
  • Carrying out the services of the industrial property rights qualified, effectively and fastly.
  • Raising the awareness of industrial property rights in the public.
  • Making the industrial property rights into the economic benefits.
  • Actively taking place in the international arena and guiding to the country in the industrial property issues.
  • Making the institutional capacity strengthened.

To realize these five objectives, TURKPATENT is projected to take actions within the scope of 17 goals as summarized below:
  • Increasing customer satisfaction
  • Enhancing the alignment with the judicial decisions
  • Providing all the services electronically
  • Developing the system of the attorneys
  • Raising the awareness of the industrial property in the public.
  • Supporting scientific studies in the field of industrial property.
  • Commercializing the inventions
  • Promoting the branding
  • Increasing the effectiveness of geographical indications and traditional products.
  • Promoting the creation of the original designs
  • Increasing the capacity to establish international patent search and examination
  • Increasing the effectiveness of platforms gathering the industrial property stakeholders
  • Participating in the International events to increase the effectiveness of the country on intellectual property matters
  • Consolidating the human resources infrastructure.
  • Strengthening IT infrastructure
  • Strengthening IT infrastructure
  • Developing a planned institutional culture

The Strategy Document also makes reference to the 10th Development Plan of Turkey setting out the following objectives.
  • The main objective is to increase the contribution of intellectual property rights and products subject to these rights to the development process, through creating a common and socially adopted system for the use and protection of intellectual property rights.
  • Adequate human and institutional capacity will be created in the relevant units of public sector dealing with protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, in particular in the judiciary, customs and constabulary.
  • Service capacity will be improved in technology transfer and innovation centres to make businesses benefit effectively from the intellectual property rights system and its subsidies.
  • The effectiveness of existing mechanisms in the commercialization of intellectual property rights will be improved.
  • Public awareness of the intellectual property rights system will be increased by promotional and educational activities at all levels.
  • Identification, monitoring and evaluation of contribution of the works and products subject to intellectual property rights to the national economy will be provided, and information and data infrastructure will be strengthened.

The Document finally sets forth the financial resources to realize the objectives and goals set by TURKPATENT.

To summarize, TURKPATENT aims to improve the capacity and qualification of its human resources, provide all its services electronically and raise public awareness on the intellectual and industrial property issues within next 5 years.

The text of the Strategy Document can be downloaded by clicking here.
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Turkish Patent and Trademark Office has announced its performance goals for 2018.

Sarı Zemin Üzerinde Mavi Renkte Start/Goal İbarelerini İçeren Tabela


Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT) conventionally announces its performance goals and objectives at the beginning of each year. TURKPATENT has released its Performance Document on 11 January 2018.

In the preface of the Document, Chief Executive of TURKPATENT states that the document covers 48 activities which are planned to be performed within the scope of 17 targets which were determined for 5 strategic goals.

The Document covers two main parts, i.e. General Information and Performance Information, each of which is detailed below.

General Information

The Performance Document states the powers, duties and responsibilities of TURKPATENT with an organizational chart (as below) and provides actual details regarding the departmental structure, status of human and physical resources and inventory of TURKPATENT .

Turkish Patent and Trademark Office Organizational Chart
Organizational Chart of TURKPATENT

The Document reports some important tasks and projects completed in 2017 and projects a series of new tasks and goals in 2018, several of which are summarized below:

  • Technology Infrastructure of the Office has been strengthened in 2017 for shortening the proceedings and decreasing the errors.
  • Integration of the archive of the Office into Electronic Document, Process and Archive Management has continued during 2017 and the completion of the integration is planned in December 2018.
  • Telephone system has been modernized by new technology IP system.
  • The use of Electronic Document Archive Management System (EBAYS) used for internal and external correspondences will be continued in 2018.
  • A new generation data storage unit will be purchased in 2018.
  • Critical data is planned to be kept in a separate data center to avoid any loss of data due to possible natural disasters.
  • Certificate of Management System for Information Security (TS ISO 27001) is aimed to be obtained in 2018.
  • The Office has 470 employees according to data in September 2017.
  • It is planned to employ new patent examiners to increase capacity of the Office for international search and examinations*, new examiners for geographical indications to work in the newly established Division of Geographical Indications, one Legal Consultant for developing laws and regulations, and one lawyer to represent the Office before the Courts during 2018.

Performance Information

The part of Performance Information of the Document refers to the following Fundamental Policies and Priorities for performing the goals and objectives of TURKPATENT in 2018.

  • Turkey's 10th Development Plan (2014-2018), which mainly aims to increase human and institutional capacity of the public sector to protect intellectual property rights, raise service capacity of the technology transfer offices and innovation centers, commercialize intellectual property rights, and raise public awareness on intellectual property right by publicity.
  • Program of 65th Government of Turkey, which projects establishment of Patent Bourse.
  • National Intellectual Property Rights Strategy Paper and Action Plan (2015-2018) of Turkey, which basically aims law and enforcement improvement and effective inspection and protection of intellectual rights, commercialization of intellectual property rights, raising public awareness on intellectual property rights.
  • Geographical Indications Strategy Paper and Action Plan (2015-2018) of Turkey, which mainly aims to develop the laws and regulations for GIs, increase the institutional capacity of the public establishments dealing with the GIs, create an effective inspection system for GIs, develop marketing strategies to increase the added values of the GIs.

Subsequently, the Document quotes the mission and vision statements of TURKPATENT :

Mission

Contributing to the effective protection and commercialization of industrial property rights and serving to the economic and technological development of our country by increasing the awareness of industrial property in all layers of the society and being active in international platforms in the field of industrial property.

Vision

Being an Office contributing to the improvement of Turkey's intellectual capital and innovation capacity and giving direction to national and international policy in industrial property

Performance Document states the following strategic objectives of TURKPATENT :
  • Performing the services in respect of the industrial property rights in a qualified, effective and rapid manner.
  • Increasing the industrial property awareness in all layers of the society.
  • Converting industrial property into economic benefit.
  • Being active in the international arena and being guide to the country in the industrial property issues.
  • Consolidating the institutional capacity.

Finally, the Document comprehensively states the performance goals and objectives for 2018. Each performance goal has its own performance indicators and performance activities for its realization. The primary performance goals of TURKPATENT are being provided below:

  • Measures will be taken to increase customer satisfaction in the services provided by the Office.
  • The alignment between the Office's decisions and the judicial decisions will be enhanced.
  • All services will be provided electronically.
  • It will be contributed to the improvement of the attorney system.
  • The level of awareness of patents, trademarks, designs, geographical indications and traditional product names will be raised in the public.
  • Scientific studies in the field of industrial property will be supported.
  • It will be contributed to the commercialization of inventions.
  • Situational analysis regarding the impact of branding on development will be made and branding awareness will be increased and thus its the impact on development will be encouraged.
  • It will be contributed to increasing the effect of geographical indications and development of traditional products.
  • It will be contributed to the creation of original designs.
  • The capacity to establish international patent search and examination reports will be increased.
  • It will be contributed to increasing the effectiveness of platforms bringing together industrial property stakeholders.
  • International events will be followed to increase the efficiency of the country in intellectual property matters.
  • The human resources infrastructure of the Office will be strengthened.
  • The technological infrastructure of the Office will be strengthened.
  • The physical infrastructure will be strengthened to increase institutional capacity.
  • A planned work culture will be developed within the Office.

To put it in a nutshell, TURKPATENT is aiming to use the electronic means, promote the knowledge and capacity of human resources and improve infrastructure for high quality and fast services in 2018 and the following years in view of the newly released Strategy Document (2018-2022) covering the activities and actions which are planned between 2018 and 2022.

The Performance Document can be reached by clicking here.

*Turkish Patent and Trademark Office has become International Search and Examination Authority in 2016.
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Vocational qualification exams for becoming Turkish patent and trademark attorney to be held on January 21, 2018.

Bilgisayar Defter Kalem Kahve Çiçek

The candidates who passed the general qualification exams for becoming Turkish patent attorney and trademark attorney held on November 11, 2017 will take their vocational qualification exams on January 21, 2018.

Vocational qualification exam for becoming Turkish patent attorney will cover open-ended questions regarding national and international laws and practices of patents, utility models, integrated circuit topographies, designs and geographical indications.

Vocational qualification exam for becoming Turkish trademark attorney will cover open-ended questions regarding national and international laws and practices of trademarks, integrated circuit topographies, designs and geographical indications.
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Payment periods for renewal fees of Turkish trademarks and designs will change from January 10, 2018

matbaa baskı sayıları

New Industrial Property Code came into force last year on January 10, 2017 in Turkey.

The Code prescribes the followings for the trademark and designs renewal fee due dates:

Renewal fees for trademarks shall be due on the anniversary day of the filing date every ten years.
Renewal fees for designs shall be due on the anniversary day of the filing date every five years.
New Industrial Property Code prescribed a period of transition, which keeps the provisions of Old Decree Laws applicable regarding the due dates throughout twelve months from the date of entry into force of New Industrial Property Code, which means between January 10, 2017 and January 10, 2018.

The period of transition will end on January 10, 2018 and the renewal fees due for trademarks and designs on and after that date should be paid on the anniversary day of the filing date of trademarks and designs.

According to Old Trademark and Design Decree Laws (Decree Law No. 554 and Decree Law No. 555 ), it was possible to pay the renewal fees for trademarks and designs on the last day of the month covering the anniversary day of the filing date.
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New practice for due dates for renewal fees of Turkish trademarks and designs to be applied as from January 10, 2018

Açık Ajanda

Turkey introduced its New Industrial Property Code of Laws for patents, trademarks, designs, geographical indications last year on January 10, 2017.

According to the New Code, renewal fees for trademarks (every 10 years) and designs (every 5 years but upto 25 years at most) will become due for payment on the anniversary day of the filing date. Contrary to the New Code, Old Trademark and Design Decree Laws (Decree Law No. 554 and 556 respectively) was allowing the renewal fees for trademarks and designs to be paid on the last day of the month containing the anniversary day of the filing date.

New Industrial Property Code coming into force on January 10, 2017 has prescribed a transitional period, which keeps the practice of earlier Trademark and Design Decree Laws applicable in respect of the due dates for trademarks and designs throughout 12 months as from the coming into force of the New Code, which covers the periods between January 10, 2017 and January 10, 2018.

The transitional period will come to end as from January 10, 2018 and from that date on, the renewal fees due for trademarks and designs should be paid on the anniversary day of the filing date but not on the last day of the month containing the anniversary date.

This change requires attention for the rights holders and trademark and design attorneys and agents in their upcoming handling renewal fees in Turkey to avoid any surcharges of relatively high amounts or loss of rights.

Source: http://www.turkrenewals.com/news.html
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