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Cola KURDA not given patent by Turkish
institute
26.8.2008
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August 26, 2008
ANKARA,
Turkey, — The Turkish Patent Institute (TPE)
has not approved applications for beverage brand
name “Cola Kurda” because it found resemblances to
the emblem of the Turkey's separatist Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) in the product’s name and
colors.
The most recent patent application was made by
Ramazan Aslan, who named the beverage “Cola Kurda”
and used yellow, green and red colors in its emblem
together with a star symbol, bringing to mind the
colors used by the PKK.
The Aksam daily stated yesterday that Aslan had
applied to the TPE in 2007,www.ekurd.net
but that the TPE had
refused the application because “it was against the
public order and general ethics.” To Turkey’s
dismay, Cola Kurda has been offered in Iraqi
Kurdistan and on Kurdistan Airlines, which is
operated by Kurdistan regional government in
"northern Iraq". |
Cola Kurda |
Kurds are not recognized
as an official minority in Turkey and are denied
rights granted to other minority groups.
The first patent application to the TPA for Cola
Kurda was made in 2003 by Akil Good Industry and
Commerce (Akil Gida Sanayi ve Ticaret). The
application was repeated in 2004 by Ahmet Dogan, who
also asked for the approval of brand names on some
textile products.
Meanwhile, the Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory
Agency (TAPDK) has been evaluating an application
for the Kurdish “Roj Beer.” A patent for the beer
has not been given yet because the brand name and
brand colors are also seen as allusions to the PKK,www.ekurd.net
and because the product
slogan, “One sip of freedom,” is found to be
disturbing.
Since 1984 the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey (Turkey-Kurdistan). A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel
group PKK and its political wing on
the European Union's terror list.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish politicians
say the measures fall short of their expectations.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
todayszaman com | Agencies
** Kurds are not recognized as an official minority
in Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 40 million Kurds live in Big
Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
Turkey is home to 25 million ethnic Kurds, a large
Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise with
the Kurdish PKK for a Kurdish homeland in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media. The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish alphabet has led
to judicial persecution in 2000 and 2003
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan
but unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag
is banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it
is a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey)
wikipedia
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