Assessment of Novelty and Distinctive Character in Turkey

Novelty and distinctive character are the conditions of protection for a registered design in Turkey. This study investigates the ways in which novelty and distinctive character are interpreted and assessed by the parties actively involved in the assessment process -judges, court experts, the Turkish Patent Institute experts, attorneys and design agents. Face-to- face interviews were conducted with 51 participants from these parties. The study includes these evaluations and a set of suggestions for developing the assessment guide for the design registration system in Turkey.