EU bans use of Turkish tourism slogan ‘Turkaegean’ after Greek appeal: report

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has banned use by Turkish tourism campaigns of the trademark “Turkaegean,” a slogan registered by the Turkish Tourism Organization, following an objection by Greece, Politico reported.

Greek media reported on the ruling as representing an important victory for Athens in an ongoing geopolitical dispute.

Although both countries are NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have long been at odds over Cyprus, maritime borders and overlapping claims to the continental shelf, among other issues. The Aegean Sea, which is at the center of these disputes, plays a crucial role in the tourism-driven economies of both countries.

The slogan “Turkaegean” was first registered by the EUIPO in December 2021 and became controversial in 2022 when Turkey launched its tourism campaign “Turkaegean: Coast of Happiness.” Greek officials strongly opposed the slogan as they saw it as an expression of Turkey’s wider geopolitical ambitions.

In response to the cancelation by the EUIPO, Greek Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos said, “We are asserting our rights with full force and through all legal means.”

The Turkish authorities have two months to appeal EUIPO’s decision and four months to provide detailed reasons for their appeal.

The case has also reached the United States, where the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the US Patent and Trademark Office has asked Turkey to explain its reasons for using the term “Turkaegean.”

After years of tension over migration, energy rights and maritime borders in the Aegean Sea, Greece and Turkey restarted high-level talks in December 2023, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid his first to Athens since 2017 and signed a declaration of friendship between the two historic rivals.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reciprocated Erdoğan’s visit on May 13.