Guarding Trademarks and Designs at Turkish Customs

Statistics on the Protection of Trademarks and Designs at Customs

Trademark and design protection at customs is a good tool to handle in IP protection in Turkey. Industrial property rights can be protected through applications made to the Customs. Customs can prevent the import or export of goods that infringe on industrial property rights by seizing them at the border and can also share information with the rights holders to help them take legal action against infringers. Holders of trademark or design rights obtain this protection by applying through the website of the General Directorate of Customs. Regarding trademark design protection at customs yearly applications made to the Customs Service are listed below.

In addition to the registrations they have made with the General Directorate of Customs, trademark or design right holders can provide training to customs employees at intervals on the detection of counterfeit products. This training can help customs employees more effectively identify and seize counterfeit products, which can ultimately protect the rights of trademark or design right holders and prevent the circulation of fake goods in the market. Additionally, this collaboration between customs and right holders can enhance the overall effectiveness of anti-counterfeiting measures.

Finally, it was held in Antalya in December 2022, with the participation of representatives of 150 brands. The meeting resulted in the development of new strategies and tactics to combat the proliferation of counterfeit goods, as well as the strengthening of existing measures. The participation of such a large number of brands demonstrates the importance and urgency of this issue in today’s global market.

By applying to the General Directorate of Customs, tracking the brand at the customs can provide comprehensive and powerful protection with a cheap and simple process. This protection can help prevent counterfeiting and ensure that only authentic products are entering the country. It can also help protect the reputation of the brand and ensure customer satisfaction.

Detecting the counterfeit product at the time of entry into the country is much more effective, both from a cost standpoint and from a practical standpoint, when compared to interfering with the distributed product.

As a part of the anticounterfeiting activity, customs registration also includes public officials within the scope of trademark protection, thus avoiding potential costs in follow-up and detection studies. Otherwise, a large number of people and processes would have to be operated, and these costs would have to be incurred in order to determine the distributed product at the sales points and to reveal the distribution networks.

There are a total of 203 border gates in Turkey, of which 30 are land, 8 are railway, 101 are sea, and 64 are air. The government of Turkey has implemented strict security measures at these border gates to ensure the safety of registered industrial property rights, among other duties. Thousands of customs inspection officers working here carry out inspections during their daily work, taking into account the brands and designs that have been registered with customs.

These measures have been put in place to prevent the smuggling of counterfeit goods and protect the intellectual property rights of businesses. This is particularly important for industries such as fashion, electronics, and pharmaceuticals, which are often targeted by counterfeiters. At an extremely low cost, this performance can be carried out for your brand as well.

Contact us for more detailed information on the protection of your rights at customs.