Özlem Fütman of the MARQUES GI Team provides a guest post on new plans for the inspection of geographical indications in Turkey

The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT) and Republic of Turkey Ministry of Trade have signed a cooperation protocol aimed at conducting work in regard to protection and inspection of geographical indications (GIs) and traditional product names.

The Head of TURKPATENT stated that the Ministry of Trade will inspect products bearing a GI consumed by citizens, saying: "This will further strengthen the system."

In a speech delivered at the signing ceremony of the protocol, the Head of TURKPATENT indicated that they have recently been performing significant work concerning registration of GIs regarding local products in Turkey, that approximately 200 new GIs were registered within the last year, and that they have also been working on ways to earn more money out of GIs and how to enter the international market.

Without a shadow of a doubt, inspection of GIs is as important as their registration, and constitutes the other pillar of the system. Indeed, the holder of a GI registration also needs to establish the necessary mechanisms of inspection. In this context, it is understood that Turkey’s Ministry of Trade is going to inspect whether the products with a GI consumed by citizens comply with the requirements.

The purpose of this protocol is to ensure coordination between authorities concerning protection of GIs and traditional product names, as well as protection of consumers.

As part of the protocol, TURKPATENT will notify the Ministry of Trade of complaints received by it in relation to any misleading information through use of GIs and traditional product names. Afterwards, the Ministry of Trade will examine the matter through its Advertisement Board, and impose penalty sanctions if it concludes that there is an unfair and wrongful use in question.

Özlem Fütman is a lawyer with OFO Ventura in Turkey and a member of the MARQUES GI Team