Promoting and Protecting Intellectual Property in Turkey (2011)

This paper explains the value of intellectual property and why it is important to Turkey’s integration into the global economy.

Section one explores the benefits of IP protection in strengthening national economies, driving innovation and technology, fostering new ideas, and enhancing society and culture:

• IP protection benefits the economy in terms of GDP, employment, tax revenues, development and competitiveness. IP rights (IPR) also promotes foreign direct investment (FDI) and technology transfers in developed and developing countries.
• IP protection promotes innovation, increases funding for R&D and helps firms realize more value from innovations.
• IP helps firms monetize their innovations, secure investment, grow market value, and develop new markets. Companies that use IPR generally succeed better and have a higher market value than those that do not.
• IP protection helps small and medium enterprises. SMEs that rely on IP of all sorts reported higher growth, income and employment than those that do not – in some cases as much as 20% more.
• IP protection benefits consumers and society, providing consumers with innovative products and services in virtually every area of life, driving solutions to many of society’s most important needs – from clean energy and reduced carbon emissions to health care – and helping protect consumers from inferior and dangerous counterfeits.

Just as adequate IP protection and enforcement mechanisms support the numerous societal, consumer and economic benefits described in this paper, inadequate IP protection and inadequate enforcement against IPR violations have the opposite effect.

Summary of suggested recommendations

Legislative Recommendations

• Extend and simplify ex officio actions.
• Improve action against internet infringements.
• Implement the WIPO Treaties fully.
• Improve and expedite civil enforcement procedures.
• Address deficiencies in criminal IP law and procedures.
• Improve border enforcement.

Policy Recommendations

• Improve cooperation among enforcement authorities in addressing counterfeiting and piracy.
• Establish effective dialogue and cooperation between Turkish authorities, rights owner associations and other stakeholders.
• Expand IP-related administrative and technical capacity building.
• Increase public and political awareness of counterfeiting and piracy and the associated economic and social harm.