Following coordinated actions by the Ministry of Development and the Industrial Property Organization (IPO), the European Trademark “Turkaegean” has been cancelled by decision of the EU Intellectual Property Office (C58927, 10/01/25).

As a reminder, in 2021, the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency of Turkey (TGA) filed for registration of the trademark ”Turkaegean” with the EU Intellectual Property Office. In February 2023, during the ministry of Adonis Georgiades, an application for cancellation was filed by the Hellenic Republic, with the case being handled by the OBI for trade mark infringement by the Turkish Tourism Development Agency (TGA). The result of these actions is today’s decision, which is a vindication of the Greek position.

The Minister of Development, Takis Theodoricakos, said: “Greece, under the Government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is strong in the international arena and defends its commercial interests with determination and effectiveness. We are asserting our right with all our strength and with every legal means. This is how we have reached the vindication with the infringement of the European Trademark ”Turkaegean”.

OBI President Dimitris Chronis said: “The decision to cancel ”Turkaegean” fully satisfies the Greek positions and vindicates to an absolute extent the decision to resort to the infringement of the trademark.”

The Director General of the OBI, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, commented: “In the ”Turkaegean” case, OBI together with the legal representatives who represented the country, worked systematically and methodically to achieve today’s positive result in a difficult legal battle.”

It should be noted that the decision by the EU Intellectual Property Office comes a few days after the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) decided to ask Turkey for more clarification on why it chose the “TurkAegean” trademark.

This decision asks the Turkish Tourism Development Agency (TGA) to explain why and for what purpose the term was chosen, which reveals that the US essentially accepts that Greece also has every right to pursue a civil action in the US federal courts.

Turkey has been given 20 days to provide the required explanations.