The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) has joined the WIPO Digital Access Service (DAS) administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for the electronic exchange of certified priority documents.

According to the announcement, TÜRKPATENT will participate in the WIPO DAS system as a depositing office and will make the system operational from 1 June 2022 . From that date onward, applicants may request TÜRKPATENT to make certified copies of applications previously filed in Türkiye available through DAS for access by participating intellectual property offices worldwide.

Within the system, TÜRKPATENT will provide applicants with an access code enabling participating IP offices to retrieve certified priority documents electronically through the WIPO DAS platform. The service will apply to patent, utility model, trademark, industrial design, and PCT applications filed before TÜRKPATENT on or after 1 June 2022.

The implementation of the WIPO DAS system is expected to facilitate international filing procedures for Turkish applicants by enabling faster, more secure, and cost-effective transmission of priority documents. Instead of submitting paper-certified copies separately to multiple foreign offices, applicants will be able to authorize electronic retrieval of the documents through the DAS platform.

Foreign applicants filing in Türkiye are also expected to benefit from the system through simplified document exchange procedures involving participating intellectual property offices.

However, TÜRKPATENT clarified that its participation in WIPO DAS is currently limited to the role of depositing office. Since TÜRKPATENT has not declared itself as an accessing office under the system, applicants claiming foreign priority in Türkiye will still need to submit foreign priority documents through conventional procedures.

The WIPO Digital Access Service (DAS) is an international electronic platform designed for the secure exchange of priority documents and similar documents between participating intellectual property offices. The system provides a digital alternative to paper-certified priority documents and supports compliance with Paris Convention requirements regarding priority claims and document certification.

TÜRKPATENT’s participation in the DAS system represents another step in the modernization and digitalization of Türkiye’s intellectual property infrastructure and is expected to improve efficiency in cross-border intellectual property filings and prosecution procedures.