Özge EĞRİKAR – ISTANBUL
Warner Bros Entertainment, the producer of the Harry Potter film series, has won the legal battle brought by its in-house lawyers against a Turkish store accused of using the “Harry Potter” trademark on its products without authorization.
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This incident followed the seizure of 250 ink pen sets with Harry Potter brand logos by an Istanbul customs office. It was later revealed that the products belonged to a Turkish shop called “Keskin Hediyecilik”.
After determining the origin of the products, a customs officer took photos of them and sent the images to Warner Bros. authorities for further investigation to determine if the products were counterfeit.
The company’s investigation subsequently revealed that the products were indeed manufactured without authorization, were of poor quality and posed a health risk to both consumers and the general public. The company’s in-house lawyers then filed a lawsuit against the Turkish business with the Büyükçekmece General Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul.
The Attorney General’s Office decided to confiscate the products from the local store. Warner Bros.’ lawyers filed a petition for intellectual and industrial property rights in a civil court in Istanbul, demanding the destruction of the counterfeit products.
In its ruling, the court upheld Warner Bros.’s claim and ordered the destruction of the counterfeit products bearing the Harry Potter name and logo.
