It took nearly two years since the Ministry of Development, under then-minister Adonis Georgiadis, filed an appeal for yesterday’s decision by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to annul the “Turkaegean” trademark.

The office ultimately accepted the Greek arguments, and now the Turkish trademark cannot be used on European soil for any of the six registered categories (advertising, media, transportation services, education, hospitality, and legal services) for which it had been claimed by the Turkish organization. This is a significant blow to the neighboring country as its promotional campaigns by the Turkish Organization are actively progressing.

Turkish authorities now have two months to appeal the EUIPO decision and four months to submit a written justification for doing so.

Similar appeals are ongoing in other major global markets where Turkey uses the term “Turkaegean” in its tourism campaigns, such as the United States.

In its 19-page ruling, the EUIPO focuses primarily on three points for the cancellation of the “Turkaegean” trademark while rejecting Turkey’s arguments.

First, the trademark contains strongly geographical indications, which conflict with EU regulations for trademark registration. Additionally, the disputed trademark lacked a distinctive character or uniqueness and did not convey anything novel. The accompanying red heart symbol is a common advertising practice that fails to draw consumer attention beyond the “Turkaegean” term itself.

Beyond the strict trademark regulations on which the EUIPO decision rests, there are also ‘political messages’ embedded in the ruling. These pertain mainly to the EUIPO’s stance on the arguments presented by the Greek Ministry of Development, represented by the legal firms Venieri – Alexandropoulou and Patrinou – Kilimiri, and the Turkish Tourism Organization.

The Greek side argued that the Turkish move violated public order and acceptable principles of morality and was filed in bad faith. On the other hand, the Turkish side claimed that Greece’s appeal constituted an abuse of rights and that our country was trying to monopolize tourism in the Aegean region.

Commenting on the decision, the Minister of Development, Takis Theodorikakos, stated:
“Greece, under Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government, is strong on the international stage and defends its national interests decisively and effectively, even in the commercial domain. We claim what is rightfully ours with all our strength and every legal means. That’s how we achieved this vindication by challenging the European trademark ‘Turkaegean.’”

Former Minister Adonis Georgiadis also expressed his satisfaction with the EUIPO’s decision to accept Greece’s annulment request with an extensive social media post, stating that he now feels vindicated by the developments.

A First “Victory” in the U.S.

At the same time, the battle to cancel the trademark in other major global markets continues. Just days ago, there was a significant development in the U.S., where the U.S. Trademark Office requested that the Turkish Tourism Development Agency (TGA) provide further clarification regarding the reasons and objectives behind selecting the term “Turkaegean” to promote tourism in Turkey.

Over the past two years, the Greek side has submitted a comprehensive dossier to prove that Turkey’s attempt to register the “Turkaegean” trademark is a move driven by geopolitical motives.

It is particularly significant for Greece that there remains the possibility of escalating the appeal into a civil lawsuit in federal court to investigate the “underlying motives” behind adopting the term “Turkaegean.”