Turkey’s attempt to register the controversial Turkaegean trademark in Thailand has been rejected following an objection filed by Greece, according to the Economic and Commercial Affairs Office of the Greek Embassy in Bangkok.
The Turkish trademark is now listed as “dead” in Thailand, meaning the application has been definitively rejected, according to written confirmation from Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property.
The status is also reflected in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s database, where the Turkaegean application is listed as an “Ended Trademark” for Thailand.
Greece challenged the application
The Greek Embassy’s Economic and Commercial Affairs Office in Bangkok began the process of challenging the trademark in September 2024.
Greek officials contacted Thailand’s competent trademark authorities, examined the relevant procedures and deadlines, and prepared an objection against the registration.
According to the Greek office, the objection was accepted during the Thai proceedings.
The Turkish side did not submit a memorandum within the prescribed deadline in response to the Greek objection. As a result, the application was abandoned under Thai legislation.
The rejection covers all categories for which Turkey had sought registration of the Turkaegean trademark.
These included advertising, exhibition organisation, transportation, travel organisation, cultural and sporting activities, catering and temporary accommodation services.
WIPO data now lists Turkaegean as an ended trademark in Thailand and Mongolia.
Greek strategy draws on previous trademark victory
The Greek objection in Thailand reportedly drew on an earlier successful case in Japan involving the attempted registration of the trademark “The Greek Yogurt” by a Japanese dairy company.
That case became a model for subsequent Greek interventions against trademarks considered to conflict with Greek geographical indications.
The Greek office in Bangkok described the Thai decision as significant for Greece’s economic and diplomatic interests.
It stressed that protecting geographical indications is closely linked to the international reputation, recognition and commercial value of Greek products and services.
The latest decision gives Greece another victory in its efforts to challenge the use of the Turkaegean name in international markets.
The trademark dispute forms part of Greece’s broader effort to protect the association of the Aegean and Greek geographical identity from commercial branding that Athens considers misleading or inappropriate.
