The contentious “Turkaegean” trademark, registered in December 2021 by Turkey’s tourism agency and sharply criticized by Athens at the time, has been cancelled by the EU’s Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for use in the Union.
The trademark had been filed by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) in a bid to better promote the coastal areas of western Turkey, i.e. combining “Turk” with “Aegean”. While not stated, the trademark name nevertheless appeared as a thinly veiled effort to counter global views equating “Aegean” with Greece only.
However, the EUIPO decision (C58927), announced on Friday, essentially tosses the promotional campaign into the “dust bin” as far as European markets are…
