Trademark Renewal in Turkey
Trademark renewal in Turkey is required every ten years to maintain a registered trademark. A trademark registration in Turkey is protected for ten years from the application date and may be renewed for successive ten-year periods. A trademark renewal request can be filed during the six months preceding the expiry date. If this period is missed, renewal is still possible within six months after expiry upon payment of an additional fee.
Trademark Renewal Deadline in Turkey
The standard renewal period begins six months before the expiry of the trademark registration. The renewal request and the applicable renewal fee should be completed within this period.
If the trademark is not renewed before expiry, Turkish trademark law provides an additional six-month period in which the registration may still be renewed by paying the applicable additional fee. Once this additional period has expired, the registration can no longer be maintained through ordinary renewal.
Why Early Trademark Renewal May Reduce Costs
Where the six-month renewal period extends over the end of a calendar year, the official renewal fee may change before the trademark expires. TÜRKPATENT fees are determined according to the fee schedule applicable at the time of the renewal transaction.
For example, if a trademark expires in January, its six-month renewal period begins in the previous year. A renewal completed before the end of December may therefore be subject to the previous year’s official fee, while a renewal filed after 1 January may be subject to the new year’s fee schedule, even though the trademark has not yet expired.
For this reason, filing a trademark renewal as early as possible within the permitted renewal period may help avoid an increase in official fees.
How Trademark Renewal Fees Are Calculated
The official trademark renewal fee in Turkey depends on the number of classes covered by the registration. A fixed renewal fee applies to trademarks covering up to two classes. For registrations covering more than two classes, an additional official fee is charged for each class from the third class onwards.
The same class-based structure applies to late renewals filed after the expiry of the protection period, although higher official fees apply during this additional six-month period.
Partial Renewal of a Trademark in Turkey
A Turkish trademark does not have to be renewed for all the goods and services covered by the registration. The trademark owner may renew the registration for only part of the goods or services and allow the remaining protection to expire.
For multi-class registrations, the scope of protection should therefore be reviewed before renewal, particularly where some goods or services are no longer commercially relevant.
Renewal of Madrid Protocol Trademarks in Turkey
Trademarks protected in Turkey through the Madrid System are renewed differently from national Turkish trademark registrations. The international registration is renewed through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), rather than by filing a national renewal request with TÜRKPATENT.
A Madrid international registration is valid for ten years and may be renewed for further ten-year periods. When filing the renewal, the holder can select the designated Contracting Parties for which protection is to be maintained, including Turkey where applicable.
Madrid renewals can be requested up to six months before expiry and remain possible during the six-month grace period following expiry, subject to the applicable additional charges.
Information Required for Trademark Renewal in Turkey
Before filing a trademark renewal in Turkey, the registration details should be reviewed to confirm the trademark number, proprietor information, expiry date and the goods and services for which protection is to be maintained.
Where the proprietor’s name, address or ownership information has changed, the trademark record should also be reviewed to determine whether a separate recordal is required.
Trademark Renewal for Foreign Owners
Foreign trademark owners can maintain their trademark rights in Turkey by ensuring that renewal deadlines are monitored and the renewal request is filed within the applicable period. For national Turkish registrations, renewal proceedings are carried out before TÜRKPATENT.
For trademarks protected in Turkey through the Madrid System, renewal is handled through WIPO as part of the international registration. It is therefore important to identify whether the Turkish protection originates from a national registration or an international registration before taking renewal action.