Community News

Volunteer Spotlight: Uğur Aktekin

Published: March 24, 2021

Ceren Aytekin

Ceren Aytekin Istanbul, Turkey INTA Bulletins—Europe Subcommittee

Ugur Aktekin

Uğur Aktekin, Gün+Partners, Istanbul, Turkey

Along with his illustrious career, Uğur Aktekin, a partner at Gün+Partners in Istanbul, Turkey, has focused his seemingly unlimited energy on INTA over the last two decades. His involvement began when he attended his first Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, USA, in 2001. During his membership, Mr. Aktekin has served on a number of committees, beginning with the Trademark Office Practices Committee in 2005. He currently serves on the Data Protection Committee, Best Practices Subcommittee.

Looking back at his time with INTA, four projects come to his mind as the most rewarding so far. Top of his list is the Association’s Advanced Anticounterfeiting Strategies Conference that took place in Istanbul in 2012, at which he was a panelist. He enjoyed the unique opportunity of hosting some of his colleagues in his home city. He recalls many participants commenting on the quality of the Conference.

Next on his list is his work on the Famous and Well-Known Marks Committee, where he served from 2010 through 2013. At a time when Turkish courts were regularly adjudicating on well-known trademarks, he helped prepare reports on these decisions with the aim of providing guidance on the relevant issues for the international community. His third favorite is pre-Annual Meeting receptions, which his firm has been organizing since their inception 10 years ago (with the exception of the past year due to the pandemic).

Finally, Mr. Aktekin counts a comprehensive article he and his colleague Hande Hançer contributed in 2011 to The Trademark Reporter, which he regards as the single best publication for international trademark practitioners.

As a practitioner who joined the Association at the very beginning of his career, “INTA is everything [to me],” he said, noting that educational resources and networking opportunities are “unparalleled” in the trademark field. He looks forward to continuing his volunteer work and continues to encourage his colleagues to do the same.

Among the most important issues facing trademark owners today, Mr. Aktekin notes the difficulties practitioners in Turkey have in obtaining preliminary injunctions. He also mentioned trademark squatting as a byproduct of the Internet becoming more powerful and providing quick access to information.

More than 70 percent of his work consists of trademarks, with the remainder made up of other intellectual property issues, namely copyrights, industrial designs, unfair competition, and advertising.

When not working, Mr. Aktekin loves traveling and sightseeing—a logical hobby since his former occupation was as a professional tour guide throughout Turkey. The year 2020 was an unusual one for him with much less travel. Next on his list, he wants to visit Chile and Peru once travel restrictions have been lifted.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest. 

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