Trademark Examination Guideline

Trademark Examination Guideline - 2021

The criteria for examining trademark applications within the scope of Industrial Property Code No. 6769 and its Implementing Regulation continue to be made available to practitioners through the Trademark Examination Guideline, published by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office in 2021.

You may access the current version of the Guideline here.

Guideline for the Examination of Article 5 of the Industrial Property Code No. 6769

Number	Title	Page
1.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-A	p.2
1.1.	General explanations	p.2
1.1.1.	Definition of a trademark	p.2
1.1.1.1.	Signs	p.3
1.1.1.2.	Distinctive character	p.3
1.1.1.3.	Representability in the register	p.4
1.2.	Non-traditional trademarks and Article 5(1)(A) of the Industrial Property Code	p.6
1.2.1.	Three-dimensional trademarks	p.7
1.2.2.	Color trademarks	p.8
1.2.2.1.	Representation of single-color trademarks in the register	p.9
1.2.2.2.	Representation of color-combination trademarks in the register	p.11
1.2.3.	Representation of sound trademarks in the register	p.13
1.2.4.	Representation of motion trademarks in the register	p.14
1.2.5.	Position trademarks	p.17
1.2.6.	Pattern trademarks	p.18
1.2.7.	Scent trademarks / trademarks relating to the sense of smell	p.18
1.2.8.	Taste trademarks	p.19
1.3.	Relationship with other provisions of the Industrial Property Code	p.20

Number	Title	Page
2.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-B	p.21
2.1.	General explanations	p.21
2.1.1.	Distinctiveness	p.21
2.1.2.	Main principles to be taken as basis in determining distinctiveness	p.22
2.1.2.1.	Evaluation of the sign within the scope of the goods and services for which registration is sought	p.22
2.1.2.2.	Principle of the integrity of the sign applied for	p.23
2.1.2.3.	Perception of the relevant consumer	p.24
2.2.	Special situations	p.25
2.2.1.	Word trademarks	p.25
2.2.1.1.	Presence of the distinctive expression in a way that is not noticeable within the whole	p.25
2.2.2.	Word combinations	p.26
2.2.3.	Applications in the form of “… master”	p.29
2.2.4.	“Word + device” combinations	p.30
2.2.5.	Slogans	p.32
2.2.6.	Applications formatted as “… we love”, “… we do”, “I love …”, “I like …”, “… souvenir”	p.37
2.2.7.	Applications consisting of event names	p.39
2.2.8.	Device trademarks	p.42
2.2.8.8.	Patterns	p.62
2.2.8.9.	Device combinations	p.65
2.2.8.10.	Toys, toy dolls and play figures	p.68
2.2.9.	Colour trademark applications consisting of a colour or colour combinations	p.69
2.2.9.1.	Colour trademark applications consisting of a single colour	p.69
2.2.9.2.	Colour trademark applications consisting of colour combinations	p.72
2.2.10.	Sound trademarks	p.73
2.2.11.	Motion trademarks	p.74
2.2.12.	Letters and numbers	p.75
2.2.12.1.	Trademark applications consisting of a single letter or number	p.75
2.2.12.2.	Trademark applications consisting of two or more letters or numbers	p.77
2.2.12.3.	Trademark applications consisting of letter-number combinations	p.77
2.2.13.	City names or well-known place names standing alone	p.78
2.2.14.	Signs to be refused for not creating a trademark perception	p.81
2.2.15.	Well-known book titles	p.82
2.2.16.	Applications consisting solely of country names	p.83
2.2.16.1.	Country name + device element	p.84
2.2.17.	Position trademarks	p.85

Number	Title	Page
3.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-C	p.89
3.1.	General principles	p.89
3.1.1.	Assessment of the sign subject to the application as a whole	p.89
3.1.2.	Assessment of descriptiveness based on the perception of the “relevant consumer”	p.89
3.1.3.	Assessment of descriptiveness in relation to the relevant goods/services	p.90
3.1.4.	Assessment of descriptiveness within the framework of the specific circumstances and current conditions of the case	p.91
3.2.	Descriptive signs	p.92
3.2.1.	Writing the descriptive expression in different characters and fonts	p.94
3.2.1.1.	Word elements in the trademark	p.95
3.2.1.1.1.	Typeface	p.95
3.2.1.1.2.	Combination with colours	p.96
3.2.1.1.3.	Combination with punctuation marks and other symbols	p.96
3.2.1.2.	Different positioning of word elements	p.96
3.2.2.	Words and word combinations	p.97
3.2.3.	Applications consisting of product names related to services	p.100
3.2.4.	Applications describing the place or the person producing/selling a good	p.101
3.2.5.	Descriptive words in foreign languages	p.103
3.2.6.	Word combinations in different languages	p.107
3.2.6.1.	Descriptiveness of a word as used in Turkish after originating from a foreign language	p.108
3.2.6.2.	Applications filed in other alphabets	p.108
3.2.7.	Descriptive figurative elements	p.110
3.2.8.	Figurative elements and descriptive words	p.111
3.2.9.	Figurative components	p.117
3.2.10.	Misspelled words (misspellings)	p.118
3.2.11.	Repetition of letters in descriptive words	p.119
3.2.12.	Applications containing geographical place names	p.120
3.2.12.1.	Fundamental criteria to be considered when assessing descriptiveness of applications containing geographical place names	p.122
3.2.12.2.	Applications containing a geographical place name alone / as the main element	p.127
3.2.12.3.	Applications consisting of a geographical place name + name of goods/services or sector	p.127
3.2.12.4.	Applications consisting of country names as geographical place names	p.131
3.2.12.4.1.	Applications consisting of a country name + non-distinctive or descriptive element	p.132
3.2.12.4.2.	Applications consisting of a figurative element + country name	p.132
3.2.12.4.3.	Applications consisting of a country name + expressions such as “language school” / “language center”	p.134
3.2.13.	Applications created by adding the initials of non-distinctive / descriptive expressions to the sign	p.138
3.2.14.	Possessive suffixes used together with non-distinctive / descriptive expressions	p.139
3.2.14.1.	Applications containing the prefix “my”	p.141
3.2.15.	Applications consisting of an internet domain name	p.142
3.2.16.	Applications arranged in the form of a hashtag (social media tag)	p.144
3.2.17.	Expressions such as “saray”, “dünyası”, “world”, “land” used together with descriptive words	p.144
3.2.18.	Applications containing the words Türkiye, Türk, Turkish, Euro, Europe, European	p.146
3.2.19.	Applications in the form of “alo + product / sector / service name”	p.148
3.2.20.	Applications arranged in the form of “non-distinctive / descriptive expression + matik / matic”	p.149
3.2.21.	Applications containing non-distinctive / descriptive expressions used together with words indicating quality	p.150
3.2.22.	Applications in the form of “moda / fashion + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.153
3.2.23.	Applications in the form of “e- + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.154
3.2.24.	Use of non-distinctive / descriptive expressions in reduplicated form in the application	p.156
3.2.25.	Applications consisting of expressions related to the time or frequency of use of the goods or the time when the service is provided	p.157
3.2.26.	Names of hotels, newspapers, magazines and airports	p.158
3.2.27.	Applications in the form of “… series / series”, “model …”, “… model”	p.160
3.2.28.	Applications in the form of “… institute”, “… academy”, “… academy”	p.161
3.2.29.	Applications consisting of names given by the applicant to an innovation / new practice / new technology created by them	p.162
3.2.30.	Applications consisting of “multi + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.163
3.2.31.	Applications containing INN names	p.165
3.2.32.	Applications in the form of “non-distinctive / descriptive expression + here”	p.166
3.2.33.	Applications in the form of “new generation + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.169
3.2.34.	Applications in the form of “green + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.171
3.2.35.	Applications in the form of “non-distinctive / descriptive expression + plus”, “plus + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.173
3.2.36.	Applications consisting solely of numbers	p.174
3.2.37.	Applications consisting of a single letter	p.175
3.2.38.	Applications consisting of television program names	p.175
3.2.39.	Applications indicating the subject/content of the goods for which registration is sought (books, films, documentaries etc.)	p.176
3.2.40.	Applications arranged in the form of “easy + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”, “kolay + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.177
3.2.41.	Applications consisting of color names	p.177
3.2.42.	Applications in the form of “eco / eko + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.178
3.2.43.	Applications in the form of “non-distinctive / descriptive expression + arbitrary”	p.178
3.2.44.	Naming conventions used by banks/internet providers for their service packages	p.179
3.2.45.	Applications consisting of company names – trade names – business names whose core element is descriptive in nature	p.180
3.2.46.	Applications containing the expressions akıllı, smart, güvenli, hesaplı	p.181
3.2.47.	Marks using the expressions “en iyi / best / the best”	p.184
3.2.48.	Applications consisting of “mini + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.185
3.2.49.	Applications consisting of “universal / evrensel + non-distinctive / descriptive expression”	p.185

Number	Title	Page
4.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-Ç	p.187
4.1.	General principles	p.187
4.1.1.	Determination of identity or similarity to the extent of being indistinguishable	p.188
4.1.1.1.	Identity	p.188
4.1.1.2.	Similarity to the extent of being indistinguishable	p.192
4.1.1.2.1.	Evaluation of similarity based on the overall impression left by the signs	p.194
4.1.1.2.2.	Evaluation of similarity based on distinctive elements	p.199
4.1.2.	Same or same type of goods or services	p.218
4.1.3.	Evaluation of similarity in special cases	p.221
4.1.3.1.	Word marks with phonetic similarity	p.221
4.1.3.1.1.	Similarity of signs differing only by the letters x – ks	p.223
4.1.3.1.2.	Similarity of signs differing only by the letters k and c	p.226
4.1.3.1.3.	Similarity assessment of applications containing letter repetition	p.227
4.1.3.2.	Similarity assessment in word marks containing suffixes	p.230
4.1.3.2.1.	Similarity of applications containing the suffixes “oğlu”, “kızı”, “zade”, “oğulları”, “ler”, “lar”	p.230
4.1.3.2.2.	Similarity of applications containing possessive suffixes	p.231
4.1.3.2.3.	Similarity of applications containing the English possessive suffix “’s”	p.232
4.1.3.2.4.	Similarity of applications in which the English plural suffix “-s” is added	p.234
4.1.3.3.	Similarity of applications containing weakly distinctive expressions such as optimum / global / star / ideal	p.236
4.1.3.4.	Similarity of applications containing the English expression “by”	p.238
4.1.3.5.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the English expression “the”	p.240
4.1.3.6.	Similarity of applications containing suffixes such as “-san”, “-mak”, “-pen”, “-tech”, “-med”, “-dent”	p.241
4.1.3.7.	Similarity assessment in applications ending with “tech – tek” or “tek – tec”	p.242
4.1.3.8.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the English expression “my”	p.243
4.1.3.9.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the words “grup” – “group”	p.243
4.1.3.10.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “… holding”	p.247
4.1.3.11.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expressions “Türk” and “Euro”	p.248
4.1.3.12.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “plus”	p.249
4.1.3.13.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expressions “max”, “maks”	p.250
4.1.3.14.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “extra/ekstra”	p.251
4.1.3.15.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “pure”	p.252
4.1.3.16.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “ultra”	p.253
4.1.3.17.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “soft”	p.254
4.1.3.18.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “life”	p.254
4.1.3.19.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expressions “lux/delux/premium”	p.255
4.1.3.20.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expression “smart”	p.256
4.1.3.21.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expressions “home/house”	p.257
4.1.3.22.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the expressions “collection/dekor”	p.259
4.1.3.23.	Similarity assessment of applications containing the prefixes “has”, “öz”, “yeni”	p.260
4.1.3.24.	Similarity assessment of expressions that change position within a word or in word combinations	p.261
4.1.3.25.	Similarity assessment of applications consisting of words in which at least one letter is in the form of a figure	p.261
4.1.3.26.	Similarity assessment when signs are separated by the symbol “&”	p.265
4.1.3.27.	Similarity assessment of letter groups/words separated by standard punctuation marks such as “.”, “-”, “,”	p.266
4.1.3.28.	Similarity assessment of applications containing a geographical place name	p.268
4.1.3.28.1.	Province names or well-known place names	p.268
4.1.3.28.1.1.	Use	p.269
4.1.3.28.1.2.	Combined use	p.269
4.1.3.29.	Similarity assessment in slogan marks	p.276
4.1.3.30.	Similarity assessment of applications consisting of reduplications	p.277
4.1.3.31.	Similarity assessment of applications containing expressions such as “vakfı / derneği / birliği” (foundation / association / union)	p.278
4.1.3.32.	Similarity assessment of applications containing expressions such as “okul / kolej / akademi / eğitim kurumları” (school / college / academy / educational institutions)	p.279
4.1.3.33.	Similarity assessment where the descriptive element indicating a profession appears before the distinctive element in the application	p.281
4.1.3.34.	Similarity assessment in applications consisting of a person’s name and surname	p.282
4.1.3.35.	Similarity assessment where the same numbers are written in digits and in words	p.283
4.1.3.36.	Similarity assessment in applications where numbers and letters are used together	p.283
4.1.3.37.	Similarity assessment of applications consisting of two or three letters	p.284
4.1.3.38.	Similarity assessment where a group of letters formed from the initial letters of the words making up the application also appears in the application	p.286
4.1.3.39.	Similarity assessment of applications consisting of a single letter and a numeral	p.287
4.1.3.40.	Similarity assessment of applications consisting of a trade name	p.288
4.1.3.41.	Similarity assessment in applications consisting of a figurative element	p.290
4.1.3.42.	Similarity of the figurative element in applications consisting of a word + figurative combination	p.291
4.1.3.43.	Similarity assessment of applications for color marks consisting of a color or a combination of colors	p.292
4.2.	Similarity assessment in the case of jointly owned applications	p.292

Number	Title	Page
5.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-D	p.294
5.1.	Signs used by everyone in the field of trade	p.295
5.2.	Signs used to indicate membership in a particular profession, art, or trade group	p.297

Number	Title	Page
6.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-E	p.299
6.1.	Shapes or other characteristics arising from the nature of the goods	p.299
6.2.	Shapes or other characteristics that are necessary to obtain a technical result	p.300
6.3.	Shapes or other characteristics that give the goods their essential value	p.304

Number	Title	Page
7.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-F	p.305
7.1.	Deceptiveness regarding geographical origin	p.307
7.2.	Deceptiveness relating to signs that may pose a health risk if used	p.310
7.3.	Signs that are deceptive due to the nature of the goods	p.312
7.4.	Applications consisting of or giving the impression of official institution names	p.314

Number	Title	Page
8.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-G	p.315
8.1.	Scope of protection	p.317
8.1.1.	Signs and emblems of states	p.317
8.1.2.	Flags of states	p.318
8.1.3.	Imitation of coats of arms, flags of dynasties and other state emblems	p.322
8.1.4.	Limitation of protection for control and guarantee signs	p.323
8.1.5.	Signs of international intergovernmental organizations	p.324
8.1.6.	Black-and-white representations of signs protected under the provision	p.326
8.1.7.	Representations in different colors of signs protected under the provision	p.328
8.2.	Research to be conducted under Article 5/1-(g)	p.329

Number	Title	Page
9.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-Ğ	p.330
9.1.	General overview	p.330
9.2.	Other signs that concern the public and have become public property due to historical or cultural value	p.330
9.2.1.	Signs containing the names of prominent Turkish figures, artists, and authors that have become public property	p.331
9.2.2.	Signs containing the expressions “Osmanlı İmparatorluğu/Devleti/Ottoman Empire” or the Ottoman state coat of arms	p.335
9.2.3.	Signs containing photographs and images of historical and cultural structures	p.336
9.2.4.	Signs containing the names and surnames of the presidents of the Republic of Türkiye	p.338
9.2.5.	Events or figures of significance in terms of historical and cultural value	p.339
9.3.	Signs containing coats of arms, insignia or designations for which registration permission has not been granted by the competent authorities	p.341

Number	Title	Page
10.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-H	p.343
10.1.	General overview	p.343
10.2.	Signs used solely as a religious term or symbol in society or signs that directly evoke a religious association	p.343
10.3.	Signs that have a religious meaning or content but are used in other fields or do not directly evoke a religious association	p.345
10.4.	Signs containing the names and titles of religious officials	p.346
10.5.	Signs containing the names and/or visuals of sacred places	p.347
10.6.	Signs containing the names of religions or denominations	p.351
10.7.	Signs containing religious concepts or the names of religious figures	p.351

Number	Title	Page
11.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-I	p.354
11.1.	Concept of public order	p.354
11.2.	Concept of public morality	p.355
11.3.	Application of the provision	p.357

Number	Title	Page
12.	Turkish Industrial Property Code Article 5/1-İ	p.361
12.1.	General overview	p.361
12.2.	Situations falling within the scope of Article 5/1-(i)	p.361
12.3.	Situations not falling within the scope of Article 5/1-(i)	p.362
12.4.	Assessment of identical or comparable goods	p.362
12.5.	Application criteria	p.364
12.5.1.	Case where the trademark application consists solely of a registered geographical indication	p.364
12.5.2.	Case where the trademark application contains, in addition to a distinctive word or figurative element, a registered geographical indication or an expression that evokes the registered geographical indication	p.366
12.5.2.1.	Limitation of the goods list	p.367
12.5.3.	Case where the application contains an expression close to the full name of the geographical indication	p.368
12.5.4.	Case where the application contains, not in order, the elements constituting the full name of the geographical indication	p.370
12.5.5.	Case where the trademark application consists of or contains the geographical-source-indicating part of a registered geographical indication	p.373
12.5.5.1.	Case where the trademark application consists solely of the geographical-source-indicating part of a registered geographical indication	p.373
12.5.5.2.	Case where the trademark application contains the geographical-source-indicating part of a registered geographical indication	p.373
12.5.6.	Case where the trademark application consists solely of or contains an equivalent adjective/noun indicating the geographical source of a registered geographical indication	p.375
12.5.6.1.	Case where the trademark application consists of an equivalent adjective/noun corresponding to the place-name part of the registered geographical indication	p.375
12.5.6.2.	Case where the trademark application contains an equivalent adjective/noun corresponding to the place-name part of the registered geographical indication	p.376
12.5.7.	Case where the trademark application consists of or contains the translation of a registered geographical indication	p.378
12.5.7.1.	Case where the trademark application consists of the translation of a registered geographical indication	p.378
12.5.7.2.	Case where the trademark application contains the translation of a registered geographical indication	p.378
12.5.8.	Case where the trademark application contains more than one registered geographical indication	p.379

Guideline for the Examination of Article 6 of the Industrial Property Code No. 6769

Number	Title	Page
1.	Introduction	p.380
2.	Comparison of goods and services	p.383
2.1.	Role of the Nice Classification in the comparison of goods/services	p.387
2.2.	Definition and determination of the scope of goods and services	p.387
2.2.1.	Definition of goods and services	p.387
2.2.1.1.	Goods	p.387
2.2.2.	Determination of the scope of goods and services	p.389
2.3.	Comparison of goods and services	p.392
2.3.1.	Identity	p.392
2.3.2.	Similarity of goods and services	p.393
2.4.	Examples of goods–services similarity	p.408
2.4.1.	Clothing (class 25) and home textile products (class 24)	p.409
2.4.2.	Clothing, footwear and headwear (class 25)	p.411
2.4.3.	Clothing (class 25) and woven or non-woven fabrics (class 24) and processed or unprocessed leathers and hides, artificial leathers, soles, lining leathers (class 18)	p.411
2.4.4.	Clothing (class 25) and bags, wallets, suitcases (class 18), jewellery, watches (class 14), glasses, sunglasses (class 9) and perfumes (class 3)	p.412
2.4.5.	Clothing, footwear, headwear (class 25) and gymnastic and sporting articles in class 28	p.414
2.4.6.	Clothing (class 25) and tailoring services (class 40)	p.414
2.4.7.	Pharmaceutical preparations for human and animal health (class 5) and dietetic substances adapted for medical and veterinary use; dietary supplements, food (nutritional) supplements for humans and animals; medical slimming preparations, medicinal herbs and medicinal herbal beverages (class 5)	p.415
2.4.8.	Food products (goods included in classes 29, 30 and 31)	p.415
2.4.9.	Teas, iced teas, coffee or cocoa-based beverages, chocolate-based beverages (class 30) and mineral waters, spring waters, table waters, sodas and vegetable and fruit juices, their concentrates and essences, soft drinks (class 32)	p.420
2.4.10.	Alcoholic beverages (class 33) and non-alcoholic beverages (class 32)	p.421
2.4.11.	Alcoholic beverages (class 33) and beers (class 32)	p.422
2.4.12.	Foods and beverages (goods in classes 29, 30 and 32) and food and drink provision services (class 43)	p.423
2.4.13.	Food and drink provision services (class 43) and temporary accommodation services (class 43)	p.427
2.4.14.	Electronic publications (class 09) and printed publications (class 16)	p.427
2.4.15.	Construction materials included in class 19 and construction services (class 37)	p.427
2.4.16.	Construction services (class 37) and engineering services, engineering and architectural design services (class 42)	p.428
2.4.17.	Printed documents (class 16) and education and training services and services relating to preparing magazines, books, newspapers etc. for printing and delivering them to readers (class 41)	p.429
2.4.18.	Stationery and materials for education and training (class 16) and education and training services (class 41)	p.430
2.4.19.	Financial and monetary services (class 36) and insurance services (class 36)	p.430
2.4.20.	Financial and monetary services (class 36) and real estate brokerage, consultancy and management services (class 36)	p.431
2.4.21.	Financial and monetary services (class 36) and construction services (class 37)	p.431
2.4.22.	Financial and monetary services (class 36) and credit cards, bank cards (class 9)	p.431
2.4.23.	Real estate brokerage, consultancy and management services (class 36) and construction services (class 37)	p.432
2.4.24.	Non-textile wall coverings, wallpapers (class 27) and paints (class 2)	p.432
2.4.25.	Class 8 instruments used for beauty and personal care and class 21 shaving brushes, hairbrushes, combs, and beauty care services in class 44	p.433
2.4.26.	Forks, spoons, knives including those made of precious metals, and non-electric cutting, chopping, peeling kitchen tools (class 8) and non-electric household and kitchen utensils including those made of precious metals (excluding cutlery): tableware, containers, non-electric cooking utensils (class 21)	p.433
2.4.27.	Computers (class 9) and software (class 9)	p.434
2.4.28.	Computers, software (class 9) and computer services (class 42)	p.434
2.4.29.	Apparatus for recording, transmitting or reproducing sound and images (class 9) and telecommunication services–internet service provision (class 38)	p.435
2.4.30.	Chemicals used in agriculture, horticulture and forestry (class 1) and fertilizers (class 1)	p.436
2.4.31.	Fertilizers and chemicals used in agriculture, horticulture and forestry (class 1) and substances for destroying harmful insects, plants, fungi (class 5)	p.436
2.4.32.	Perfumery; cosmetic products (excluding medicated cosmetics) and soaps (class 3) and pharmaceutical preparations for human and animal health, medicated cosmetics (class 5)	p.436
2.4.33.	Bleaching and cleaning preparations, detergents, laundry bleach, fabric softeners, stain removers, dishwashing preparations and soaps (excluding medicated soaps) (class 3) and disinfectants, antiseptics, medicinal detergents, medicated soaps, disinfectant soaps, antibacterial hand lotions (class 5)	p.437
2.4.34.	Stationery, office, educational, writing, drawing, painting and art materials (excluding furniture and devices): stationery-type paper products, adhesives, pens, erasers, tapes, craft cardboard, writing papers, copying papers, cash register paper rolls, drawing tools, blackboards, paints (class 16) and games and toys (class 28)	p.438
2.4.35.	Construction materials in classes 6, 17 and 19	p.439
2.4.36.	Baby carriages, strollers (class 12) and baby carriers, indoor playpens, cribs, walkers (class 20)	p.439
2.4.37.	Medical services (class 44) and pharmaceutical preparations for humans and animals, medical and veterinary chemical products, medical and veterinary radioactive chemical substances, medicated cosmetics (class 5)	p.440
2.4.38.	Medical services (class 44) and surgical, medical, dental and veterinary instruments, devices and furniture; orthopedic items: medical corsets, orthopedic footwear, elastic and supportive bandages (class 10)	p.441
2.4.39.	Liquid and gaseous fuels: gasoline, diesel, LPG, natural gas, fuel oil, and their non-chemical additives; industrial oils, greases, cutting fluids, dust absorbing–wetting–binding substances (class 4) and vehicle service station services–maintenance, repair and fuel filling (class 37)	p.441
2.4.40.	Motor land vehicles (including motorcycles and mopeds) and motors, clutches and transmission parts for these vehicles; belts and chains; gears; brakes, brake discs and pads; chassis; bodywork; suspensions; shock absorbers; transmissions; steering wheels; rims (class 12) and vehicle service station services–maintenance, repair and fuel filling (class 37)	p.442
2.4.41.	Pharmaceutical preparations for humans and animals, medical and veterinary chemical products, radioactive chemicals for medical and veterinary use, medicated cosmetics, and dental products (class 5) and surgical, medical, dental and veterinary instruments, devices and furniture (class 10)	p.443
2.4.42.	Dental care products: toothpastes, tooth polishing and whitening preparations, non-medicated mouthwashes (class 3) and toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes, dental floss (class 21)	p.443
2.4.43.	Retail and wholesale services enabling customers to conveniently view and purchase goods (class 35)	p.444
2.4.44.	Comparison of parts and equipment with final products	p.448
2.4.45.	Comparison of raw materials and semi-processed goods with finished goods	p.449
2.4.46.	Comparison of repair, maintenance and installation services with goods	p.450

Number	Title	Page
3.	Relevant consumer segment and level of attention	p.451
3.1.	Consumers	p.451
3.1.1.	The public at large (average consumers)	p.455
3.1.2.	Professional (specialised) consumer group	p.457
3.2.	Level of attention	p.458
3.2.1.	High level of attention	p.462
3.2.2.	Low level of attention	p.469

Number	Title	Page
4.	Distinctiveness of the earlier trademark	p.471
4.1.	Concept of distinctiveness	p.473
4.2.	Determining the distinctive character of the earlier trademark	p.474
4.2.1.	Inherent distinctiveness	p.480
4.2.2.	Enhanced distinctiveness	p.481
4.2.3.	The situation of trademarks that have acquired distinctiveness through use	p.484

Number	Title	Page
5.	Comparison of signs	p.485
5.1.	Identity of signs	p.487
5.2.	Similarity of signs	p.493
5.2.1.	Concepts of dominant and distinctive elements and identification of such elements	p.494
5.2.2.	Comparison of signs	p.502
5.2.3.	Effects of the distinctive character and perceptibility of similar and differing elements within the signs on the assessment of sign similarity	p.577
5.2.4.	Other principles considered in the comparison of signs	p.590
5.3.	Circumstances where sign similarity is not found	p.598
5.3.1.	Absence of common elements	p.598
5.3.2.	Cases where, despite the presence of common elements, sign similarity is not found	p.599
5.3.3.	Cases where elements that are negligible within the sign constitute the common element	p.599
5.3.4.	Cases where the common element is stylised	p.601
5.3.5.	Cases where non-distinctive elements constitute the common element	p.603

Number	Title	Page
6.	Joint assessment of the factors used in determining the likelihood of confusion	s.605
6.1.	Principle of interdependence	s.607
6.2.	Impression retained in memory	s.609
6.3.	Effects of the purchasing methods of goods and services on the assessment of likelihood of confusion	s.610
6.4.	Effect of non-distinctive or weakly distinctive common elements on the assessment of likelihood of confusion	s.614
6.4.1.	Cases where common elements have a low degree of distinctiveness	s.616
6.4.2.	Cases where common elements are non-distinctive	s.620
6.5.	Marks creating a series-mark impression	s.623
6.6.	Likelihood of association	s.625

Number	Title	Page
7.	Frequently encountered or special circumstances in the assessment of likelihood of confusion	p.629
7.1.	Marks consisting of or containing a first name–surname	p.629
7.1.1.	Second marks used together with a person’s first name and surname	p.636
7.2.	Sub-brands / second brands used together with an umbrella / parent brand	p.639
7.3.	Presence of a common word element in signs consisting of multiple word elements	p.642
7.4.	Assessment of likelihood of confusion where the common element is a geographical place name	p.648
7.5.	Marks containing slogans	p.653
7.6.	Transposed (rearranged) words	p.655
7.7.	Case where one of the signs compared is in domain-name format	p.656
7.8.	Pharmaceutical marks	p.660
7.9.	Comparison of marks consisting of a single letter or numeral	p.662
7.10.	Short signs	p.665
7.11.	Comparison of colour marks	p.668
7.12.	Comparison of three-dimensional marks	p.668

Trademark Examination Guideline

Trademark Examination Guideline - 2021

Guideline for the Examination of Article 5 of the Industrial Property Code No. 6769

Guideline for the Examination of Article 6 of the Industrial Property Code No. 6769​

Guideline for the Examination of Article 6 of the Industrial Property Code No. 6769