Firm takes Hereke brand under wings

ANKARA

Sümer Holding, a state-controlled group, is entitled to exclusively use the “Hereke” carpet brand name until 2022, said a top executive of the company, following recent reports saying China has built an entire industrial zone bearing this brand name, which manufactures carpets with Hereke tags.

The company first received the copyrights for the brand 1982 and renewed the authorization in 1992 as the 10-year protection period came to an end, said Sezai Ensari, general manager of Sümer Holding, a state-run company active in textiles, leather, paper, fertilizer, sugar and chemicals production. The copyrights of the brand were renewed until March 10, 2022, he said.

The rights to the Hereke brand were passed on to Sümerhalı on July 16, 2001, and Sümerhalı was merged with Sümer Holding in 2009, making the Hereke brand the holding’s own property.

In addition to Turkey, the copyright is valid in the United States, European Union and People’s Republic of China, Ensari said.