Monica Belluci wins Turkish patent court case
Italian actress secures patent rights to her own name, her lawyer tells Anadolu Agency.
By Tuncay Kayaoglu
ISTANBUL (AA) – World-famous Italian actress and model Monica Belluci has secured rights to her own name in Turkey after winning a year-long court case against a Turkish businessman who patented her name in 2003 because it sounded "nice".
Belluci’s lawyer, Hasan Akdag, told an Anadolu Agency reporter on Friday: “An Istanbul court ruled on Thursday that the brand of ‘Monica Belluci’ belongs to the Italian actress and revoked an unjust patent decision made earlier.”
An application made in 2006 to secure Belluci’s patent rights in Turkey revealed that her name had been patented in 2003 by a Turkish businessman, Arafat Yazici.
During the court hearing, Yazici’s lawyer, Mustafa Goksu, claimed the businessman meant no harm and decided to patent the name because it sounded “nice,” according to Turkish media outlets.
Yazici’s company deals with textile and leather.
Belluci will obtain her patent if Yazici’s lawyer does not appeal the ruling, Akdag stated.
However, Goksu told Anadolu Agency that they would appeal the court’s decision.
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