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Devin Law & IP · Practice Areas

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Comprehensive legal services combining sector expertise with strategic legal insight: clear, practical and result-oriented solutions for businesses and individuals. Eight dedicated practice groups cover intellectual property, media and advertising, data protection, technology, corporate matters, dispute resolution and maritime law, for multinational groups and early-stage ventures alike.

01Industrial Property LawTrademarks, patents & utility models and industrial designs, consultancy, prosecution and litigation before TÜRKPATENT, EUIPO and WIPO.

Industrial Property Law

Intellectual and Industrial Property Law, reflecting the most global aspects of law, plays a crucial role in the modern age characterized by rapidly changing technologies and dynamic, multinational rules. We provide strategic, business-focused legal solutions in trademarks, patents & utility models and industrial designs — covering consultancy, prosecution and litigation before TÜRKPATENT, WIPO, EUIPO and international offices, and managing the entire lifecycle of our clients' industrial property rights.

Brand owners today operate in an environment where a single filing decision in one jurisdiction can shape enforcement options in a dozen others. Our industrial property practice is structured around that reality: prosecution, portfolio strategy and litigation are handled by one integrated team, so that every application, opposition and renewal is aligned with the client's broader commercial objectives rather than treated as an isolated formality.

The practice acts for multinational corporations, exporters, SMEs and individual inventors alike — managing portfolios that range from a single national trademark to hundreds of rights spread across the TÜRKPATENT, EUIPO and WIPO systems. Regular status reporting, deadline discipline and documented filing strategies ensure that clients retain full visibility over their rights at every stage.

Because the same team handles both registration and enforcement, the way a right is drafted and filed already anticipates how it will one day be defended. Specifications are written with future infringement analysis in mind; evidence of use is gathered from the first year of registration rather than assembled under deadline pressure when a non-use action arrives. That continuity is what turns a registration certificate into an asset that holds its value in negotiation and in court.

Our work also extends beyond the register. Portfolio audits identify dormant rights, duplicate filings and gaps in class coverage; budget planning matches renewal cycles to commercial priorities; and enforcement programmes combine administrative, civil, criminal and customs remedies into a single coordinated response. Where a matter crosses borders, we coordinate directly with our associate network so that strategy, evidence and timing remain consistent across every jurisdiction involved.

We manage the entire lifecycle of a brand — from the first clearance search before a name is chosen, through filing, opposition and renewal, to litigation and criminal enforcement when the mark is attacked. Because the same team drafts the specification and later defends it, filing decisions are made with enforcement in mind rather than as administrative formalities.

Consultancy
  • Trademark registrability searches (availability and identity) to mitigate legal risks
  • Brand naming and clearance strategy for new products, sub-brands and market entries
  • Portfolio audits identifying dormant rights, duplicate filings and gaps in class coverage
  • Class strategy under the Nice Classification, including specification drafting for future enforcement
  • Comprehensive market investigations, test purchases and evidence collection to detect counterfeits
  • Drafting, negotiating and revising licensing, assignment and pledge agreements
  • Evidence-of-use programmes built from the first year of registration to defend against non-use claims
  • Tailored legal assessments and training for corporate teams on trademark management
Prosecution
  • Monitoring official bulletins of TÜRKPATENT and international offices to detect and oppose similar filings
  • Filing and managing applications for all types of trademarks
  • Responding to office actions and overcoming absolute and relative ground refusals
  • Appeals before the TÜRKPATENT Re-examination and Evaluation Board (YİDK)
  • Madrid System applications, subsequent designations and transformation requests through WIPO
  • EUIPO filings, oppositions and appeals through our associate network
  • Renewals, transfers and recordal of changes before TÜRKPATENT and WIPO
  • Docketing and deadline management with scheduled status reporting to the client
Litigation & Enforcement
  • Trademark infringement and unfair competition lawsuits with compensation claims
  • Court actions for the annulment of YİDK decisions before the Specialized IP Courts
  • Filing and defending cancellation and invalidation actions before Specialized IP Courts
  • Preliminary injunctions to halt ongoing infringement and secure evidence
  • Determination of evidence proceedings and expert examination management
  • Customs monitoring, criminal raid actions and destruction proceedings to combat piracy
  • Settlement negotiations, undertakings and post-judgment enforcement
Global & Local Clearance SearchesConducting exhaustive availability and knock-out searches, phonetic and visual similarity analyses, and providing comprehensive risk assessments for new brand launches and global market entry.
Cross-Border Trademark ProsecutionManaging international trademark portfolios, including direct national filings, WIPO Madrid System applications, and EUIPO filings through our global network of associates.
Complex Prosecution & Office ActionsOvercoming absolute and relative ground refusals, submitting detailed legal arguments, and handling provisional refusals across multiple jurisdictions.
Global Trademark Watch & Opposition ManagementImplementing customized global watch services, monitoring local and international bulletins, filing administrative oppositions, and aggressively defending against third-party oppositions.
Cancellation, Revocation & Invalidation ProceedingsInitiating and defending non-use cancellation actions, bad-faith invalidation lawsuits, and protecting marks against claims of genericization and dilution before the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) and specialized IP Courts.
Well-Known Trademark RecognitionPreparing extensive evidentiary files to obtain and maintain “well-known” trademark status before TÜRKPATENT and international authorities, ensuring enhanced protection across all Nice classes.
Non-Traditional TrademarksStrategic counseling and prosecution for unconventional marks, including 3D shapes, colors, sounds, motions, and position marks, specifically overcoming inherent distinctiveness hurdles.
Co-existence & Prior Rights AgreementsDrafting, negotiating, and executing complex global coexistence agreements, letters of consent, and prior rights agreements to resolve cross-border trademark conflicts.
YİDK Appeals & Court Annulment ActionsAppealing adverse decisions before the TÜRKPATENT Re-examination and Evaluation Board, and where necessary pursuing annulment of Board decisions before the Specialized IP Courts.
Portfolio Audits, Renewals & RecordalsAuditing existing portfolios for dormant rights, class gaps and chain-of-title defects; managing renewal calendars, assignments and recordal of corporate changes across all registers.
Evidence of Use ProgrammesBuilding and maintaining structured evidence-of-use files from the first year of registration, so that genuine use can be proven immediately when a non-use cancellation action is filed.

Patent work is technical before it is legal. Claims are drafted with the eventual infringement analysis already in view, prosecution decisions are documented so that file history does not later narrow the right, and litigation strategy is built on the same technical record. The team works directly with in-house engineers and external experts so that the legal argument and the technology stay aligned.

Consultancy
  • Patentability searches and Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) analyses
  • Patent landscaping and competitor mapping to inform R&D direction
  • Strategic choice between patent and utility model protection, including conversion decisions
  • Trade secret versus patent assessments where disclosure would erode commercial advantage
  • Drafting and reviewing complex patent licensing and technology transfer agreements
  • Counseling on the management of employee inventions and related compensation schemes
  • Annuity budgeting and portfolio pruning aligned with product lifecycles
Prosecution
  • Drafting, filing and managing patent and utility model applications locally and internationally
  • PCT international applications, national and regional phase entries
  • Handling the validation process for European Patents (EP) in Türkiye
  • Technical translation review to ensure claim scope survives validation
  • Responding to search and examination reports and amending claims under objection
  • Filing and responding to administrative oppositions during the grant phase
  • Annuity payments, restoration requests and portfolio maintenance
Litigation
  • Representation in patent / utility model invalidation and infringement cases
  • Declaration of Non-Infringement (DNI) actions to clear the path for product launch
  • Compulsory license procedures and preliminary injunctions to stop unauthorized use
  • Claim construction and expert witness coordination in technically complex disputes
  • Employee invention remuneration disputes before the competent courts
  • Cross-border coordination where parallel proceedings run in other jurisdictions
Freedom to Operate (FTO) & Prior Art SearchesConducting comprehensive global patent landscaping, infringement risk analysis, prior art mapping, and rendering technical patentability opinions prior to R&D investments.
Patent Drafting & ProsecutionDrafting robust patent specifications and claims across diverse technical fields, managing national phase entries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and handling direct European Patent Convention (EPC) filings.
EP Validations & Strategic MaintenanceSeamless management of European Patent validations in Turkey, ensuring accurate technical translations, and managing annuity payments and strategic patent maintenance.
Patent Litigation & Dispute ResolutionRepresenting clients in complex patent infringement lawsuits, nullity and invalidation actions, preliminary injunction proceedings, and initiating Declaration of Non-Infringement (DNI) actions.
Employee Inventions & RemunerationStructuring corporate employee invention protocols, managing statutory notification and claim procedures, and resolving complex remuneration disputes under the Turkish IP Code.
Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) & FRAND DisputesCounseling on licensing negotiations for SEPs and providing strategic defense in FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) related litigation, navigating the intersection of patent and competition law.
Utility Model Strategy & ConversionAssessing whether utility model protection offers faster and more resilient cover for incremental innovations, and managing conversions between patent and utility model applications.
Annuity Management & Portfolio PruningMaintaining annuity calendars across jurisdictions, restoring lapsed rights where possible, and pruning portfolios so that maintenance spend follows commercial value.

Design rights are short-lived, quickly infringed and often the first asset a competitor copies. The practice therefore emphasises speed — early filings with deferred publication, watch services over the design registers, and injunction applications prepared in advance so that action can be taken within days of a copy appearing on the market or at a trade fair.

Consultancy
  • Novelty and individual character assessments before product launch
  • Visual clearance searches across national, EUIPO and WIPO design registers
  • Deciding between registered design, unregistered design, 3D trademark and copyright protection
  • Design portfolio structuring for product families and seasonal collections
  • Advice on the spare parts and repair-clause exceptions in the automotive and machinery sectors
  • Designer contracts, work-for-hire arrangements and ownership of commissioned designs
Prosecution
  • Filing multiple design applications covering variants within one product family
  • International registration through the WIPO Hague System
  • Strategic requests for deferment of publication ahead of a product launch
  • Responding to examination objections and third-party observations
  • Renewals, transfers and recordal of changes before TÜRKPATENT and WIPO
Litigation
  • Design infringement and invalidity actions before the Specialized IP Courts
  • Unfair competition claims protecting unregistered designs and product get-up
  • Preliminary injunctions and seizure of infringing products, including at trade fairs
  • Strategic litigation where design rights overlap with 3D trademarks and copyright
  • Customs detention and criminal complaints against copied products
Design Clearance & Novelty AssessmentsEvaluating industrial designs for novelty and individual character criteria, conducting visual clearance searches, and providing risk mitigation strategies prior to product launch.
Strategic Design ProsecutionFiling multiple design applications, utilizing the WIPO Hague System for streamlined international registration, and strategically managing requests for deferment of publication.
Enforcement of Unregistered Design RightsProtecting unregistered designs through unfair competition provisions of the Turkish Commercial Code and specific IP Code protections, actively pursuing cease-and-desist campaigns.
Design LitigationHandling complex infringement, invalidity, and unfair competition claims involving industrial designs, and managing strategic litigation where design rights overlap with 3D trademarks.
Spare Parts & Repair Clause AdviceAdvising manufacturers and independent suppliers on the must-fit and must-match exclusions and the repair clause, particularly in the automotive and machinery sectors.
Trade Fair & Launch ProtectionPreparing injunction and seizure applications in advance of trade fairs and product launches, so that copies appearing on a stand can be removed within days.

Registration alone rarely stops a counterfeiter. This part of the practice combines customs recordals, criminal action and online takedowns into a single enforcement programme, so that infringement is met on every front it appears.

Customs Recordals & Border MeasuresFiling and proactively renewing IP recordals with the Ministry of Trade and local customs authorities to establish a robust border detention system for counterfeit and pirated goods.
Criminal Enforcement & Raid ActionsConducting on-the-ground market surveillance, organizing test purchases (investigations), filing criminal complaints, and executing immediate search and seizure warrants with law enforcement agencies.
Online Brand Protection & Digital Anti-CounterfeitingSystematic monitoring of e-commerce marketplaces, B2B platforms, and social media channels; executing rapid notice-and-takedown procedures, and combatting digital piracy and unauthorized parallel imports.
Trade Secret & Confidentiality ProtectionDrafting bulletproof Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), developing internal corporate trade secret protection policies, and litigating misappropriation of proprietary know-how.

Intellectual property earns its value when it changes hands, secures financing or underpins a transaction. We structure those steps so that title is clean, obligations are clear and the rights transfer without encumbrance.

IP Due Diligence in M&AConducting exhaustive audits of IP portfolios during mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures; identifying chain-of-title defects, encumbrances, and assessing potential litigation risks.
Licensing, Franchising & Technology TransferStructuring, drafting, and negotiating complex IP licensing agreements, technology transfer protocols, software development contracts, and international franchise agreements.
IP Collateralization & Registry RecordalsManaging the seamless recordal of IP assignments, corporate mergers, changes of name/address, pledges, and security interests before national registries to ensure unencumbered commercialization.

Digital identity and origin-based rights are protected through their own procedures. We handle both — from UDRP arbitration and .tr disputes to the registration and enforcement of geographical indications.

Domain Name Dispute ResolutionRepresenting brand owners in UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy) arbitrations before WIPO, managing .tr domain disputes before TRABİS, and aggressively handling cybersquatting and typosquatting cases.
Geographical Indications (GIs)Filing for appellations of origin and geographical indications, monitoring the market for unauthorized or deceptive use, and enforcing GI rights against genericization and commercial misuse.

Insights on this area

TrademarkNew Rules on the Classification of Goods and Services in Trademark Applications26 February 2026TrademarkOpinions and Criticisms on the Practical Application of Article 6/3 of the Industrial Property Code14 February 2026E-Commerce & IPIntellectual and Industrial Property Infringements on E-Commerce Platforms14 February 2026Unfair CompetitionMisleading Statements and Unfair Competition Based on Non-Finalized TÜRKPATENT Decisions14 February 2026