Significant Changes Introduced To The Geographical Data License Regulation

The Regulation Amending the Geographical Data License Regulation ("Amendment Regulation") is published in the Official Gazette of March 31, 2023¹ and has brought significant changes to the legal framework on geographical data including different types of licenses along with the obligations of licensees. To better grasp the changes introduced by the Amendment Regulation, we find it useful to revisit the geographical data license obligation stipulated under Article 1/2 of Law No. 7221 on Geographical Information Systems and Amendment to Certain Laws², Article 14 of the Presidential Decree No. 49³ and Geographical Data License Regulation. In this respect, collection, production, sharing, and sale of geographical data within the scope of the National Geographical Data Responsibility Matrix by local or foreign real and legal person is subject to the license granted by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change ("Ministry"), provided that such persons have