Turkish Patent And Trademark Office Updates Trademark Examination Guidelines

On 30 September 2019 the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office issued guidelines regarding the examination standards for trademark applications in terms of absolute grounds, which were the first of their kind under Turkish law. Recently, a new chapter concerning the substantive examination standards for the assessment of confusing similarity has also been published.

The new chapter covers the topics below:

• the concept of 'likelihood of confusion';
• the similarity of goods and services taking into account the role of the Nice Classification;
• the relevant consumers and their level of attention;
• the distinctiveness of the prior trademark;
• the comparison of the signs from an aural, visual and conceptual point of view;