Turkish Patent Institute (TPI) is the administrative authority dealing with the intellectual property rights registration process in Turkey. TPI has separate departments for trade marks, patent and designs. The decisions of these departments may be appealed within two months, and the Re-examination and Evaluation Board of TPI gives the final decision in the administrative process.

All final decisions of TPI are subject to statutory audit. Objectors may file a lawsuit against unfavourable decisions before the specialised Civil IP Court in Ankara, which is the competent court for all cases filed against TPI. This lawsuit must be filed within two months of the notification of TPI’s final decision.

Ankara Civil IP Court decides the correctness or cancellation of the final decision of TPI. There have been many cases, and TPI has recently started to give acceptable decisions through the continuous improvement and consolidation of case law. The IP Court of the first instance and the Supreme Court play a big role in establishing and maintaining legitimacy and stability in this field, which is quite new for all practitioners.