Name of heroic Turkish soldier who resisted coup attempt patented

ANKARA

The Turkish Patent Institute has patented the name of Ömer Halisdemir, a non-commissioned Turkish officer who was killed during last year’s coup attempt after resisting a raid by Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)-linked soldiers at the Special Forces Command in Ankara.

The Patent Institute has undertaken the move following the application of Halisdemir’s wife, Hatice Halisdemir, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on July 5.

“The killed officer’s wife undertook this action for the purpose of ‘preventing bad-willed people from trying to derive a profit from the name,’” said the co-founder of the company that provided Hatice Halisdemir with the patent consultancy services.

“We delivered the brand registration certificate to our heroic martyr’s wife in Ankara by hand. The Special Forces Command gave our company a commemorative protocol plaque,” said Banu Patent firm’s co-founder Onur Turgut.

The firm manager, Çağdaş Bağmeşli, said the name ‘Ömer Halisdemir’ had been exploited by many companies in the defense industry, financial services, media, education, law services, engineering services, medicine, and energy sectors, as well as the land, sea and air force logistic services. 

“With Ömer Halisdemir’s name registered by the Turkish Patent Institute, bad-willed people who want to reap a profit through our martyr will now be subject to criminal sanctions. Our government has embraced its martyr and protected his family and name with this registration,” Bağmeşeli said. 

Ömer Halisdemir became a symbolic figure after being killed on the night of the coup attempt as he tried to lock putschists out of the Special Forces Headquarters. He was gunned down by the FETÖ-linked soldiers as he shot a pro-coup general named Semih Terzi. 

Terzi had arrived at the commandership to capture it as part of pro-coup activities.