by
France Press agency
Published
July 16, 2024
A Turkish bookseller has won a copyright battle against a French luxury house to be able to call itself Hermes, the store’s lawyer said Tuesday, hailing a rare victory against a major brand.
A court in Ankara has partially overturned a decision by the Turkish Patent Authority, Turkey’s intellectual property authority, that banned any brand other than Hermes Paris from using the Hermes name.
“Hermes is a god in Greek mythology who belongs to the cultural heritage of humanity. No company should own him. This is an important decision in that sense,” bookseller Umit Nar, whose shop is located in the western Turkish city of Izmir, told AFP.
The shopkeeper pointed out that the god is closely linked to the ancient history of the city of Smyrna – the old name for Izmir – on the Aegean coast, where many Greek myths take place.
Hermes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The bookseller’s lawyer, Helmi Gullu, said the court had not yet announced the reasons for its ruling, adding that the verdict was a “victory.”
“Multinational companies like Hermes have a strict trademark registration policy that goes beyond their own industries. This ruling paves the way to say no to these practices,” said Jolo.
The case dates back to December 2021, when the Turkish retailer sought to register a trademark for the bookstore it opened 15 years ago.
The French company’s representative has initiated legal proceedings against TurkPatent and taken the case to court to prevent the retailer from using “Hermes” in its brand name and any marketing materials.
Fashion house Hermes stressed the “similarity and risk of confusion” between the two names despite the two different business sectors, noting that it is also active in publishing through its magazine.
“They would be right if our sectors were similar, but that’s not true at all,” Nar said.
However, the book dealer will appeal the decision, because “the court did not rule on the risk of confusion between the two brands in terms of audience and public perception,” according to the lawyer.
“I hope this ruling will help set a precedent for cultural heritage and multinational corporations,” Nar said.
bg/ach/rhl/ju/jm/dlAnkara, July 16, 2024 (AFP)
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