TÜRKİYE
COUNTERFEITING IN TÜRKİYE
Where fakes are made, moved and sold, and the tools the law gives brand owners.
The numbers
SECOND TO CHINAAS A SOURCE OF FAKES FOR THE EU.
22%
of seized fakes bound for the EU came from Türkiye (2020–21 seizures), second only to China
OECD/EUIPO, Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025, p. 35
USD467BN
global trade in counterfeit goods (2021)
OECD/EUIPO, Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025
4.7%
of EU imports were counterfeit or pirated (2021)
OECD/EUIPO, Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025
Footwear
The OECD names Türkiye, with China and Hong Kong, as a main source of counterfeit shoes seized in 2020–21.
OECD/EUIPO, Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025, p. 26
Where we work
THE HUBSWE COVER.
The production centres, ports, border gates and resort coasts where a counterfeit is most likely to be made, moved or sold.
Istanbul
Production, wholesale districts, bazaars, Ambarlı port and two international airports.
Edirne / Kapıkule
The main road gate between Türkiye and the EU.
Bursa and Denizli
Textile production at scale.
İzmir and the Aegean coast
A major port and the resort markets along the coast.
Muğla coast
Resort markets in Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye.
Antalya coast
Türkiye's largest resort coast and its markets.
Mersin
The main Mediterranean container port.
Gaziantep
Production in the south-east.
Ankara
TÜRKPATENT and the ministries.
The calendar
PLAN BEFORETHE SEASON.
The resort season runs roughly from April to October. We plan market surveys and search-and-seizure actions with you between January and March, so the first actions can take place as the stalls open.
- JanPlan surveys and seizures
- FebPlan surveys and seizures
- MarPlan surveys and seizures
- AprResort season
- MayResort season
- JunResort season
- JulResort season
- AugResort season
- SepResort season
- OctResort season
- Nov
- Dec
The legal toolkit
WHAT THE LAWLETS YOU DO.
- 01
Industrial Property Code No. 6769
The main law on trademarks and designs in Türkiye, with civil remedies and criminal penalties for infringement. Most of what we do rests on it.
Litigation → - 02
Customs applications for action
A filing with the Ministry of Trade that lets customs officers suspend suspect goods at the border and notify you. Your deadlines run from that notice.
Customs enforcement → - 03
Prosecutor-led search and seizure
On a criminal complaint, the prosecutor asks the judge for a search order, and the police or gendarmerie search the premises and seize the fakes. We attend to identify the goods.
Market enforcement → - 04
Specialised IP courts
Civil and criminal courts in the main cities that hear only intellectual property cases. Trademark actions and criminal cases under Code No. 6769 go to them.
Litigation → - 05
.tr domain disputes
A dispute procedure for .tr domain names, and court-ordered blocking of sites that sell fakes. We use the procedure against copycat stores on .tr addresses.
Online brand protection →
Download · PDF
Türkİye Anti-Counterfeiting Brief 2026
The numbers, the hubs, the calendar and the legal toolkit in one PDF to share with your team. Free, with no sign-up required.
Download the PDF ↓Optional: get The Casework Brief every month. Signing up is separate from the download.
TALK TO US ABOUT PROTECTINGYOUR BRAND IN TÜRKİYE.
Write in English or Turkish; we reply within one business day.