In the late 1800s, the development of production and marketing in the industrialized world necessitated the separation of similar products with some distinctive signs or symbols. The Ottoman Empire followed closely the contemporary European countries and made the necessary legal arrangements and organized the branding and trademark registration in a certain system. The first regulation dated 1871, which was published on the subject, was developed in 1888 under the name of “Fabrika Mamulatıyla Eşya-yı Ticariyyeye Mahsus Alamet-i Farikalara Dair Nizamname (Regulation on the Signs of Goods for Commercial Goods and Factory Goods)”. This regulation, which deals with trademark registration, is one of the first examples in the world. The term “alamet-i farika (trademark)”, was adopted immediately and was used for a long time during the Republican period. The aforementioned regulation remained until 1965, and the deficiencies, gaps created by the political, administrative, and economic changes experienced were tried to be solved by laws, decrees, and instructions issued in 1928.
Some of the Trademarks Registered in 1896 & 1897:
CACAO-CHOUVA
Register No.: 444
Page No.: 1
Number: 444
Authority the Distinctive Sign Applied at: Ministry of Trade and Public Works, Office of Industrial Administration
Date of Application and Submission: 01.04.1896
Name, Residence, Profession of the Applicant: Subject of France, Mr.Emil Gros Droz residing in Bordeaux and successor of the Aleksandri Droz Company.
Name, Residence, Profession of the Attorney: Subject of Italy, J.B.Daleçyo
Type of Products and Goods: (On the) bottles, cases, etc. Of Kakao named alcoholic drinking.
One sample of these distinctive signs was stuck on the upper side of this page, and another one on a separate sheet to be sent to the High Courtesy of Ministry of Justice, and the fixed duty of five Ottoman gold coins were paid against receipt to the Account Office. 07.05.1896
Attorney: Signature: p.J.B. Daleggio
Seal: Head Clerk
Seal: Mustafa Sami, Director of Industrial Affairs
The Certificate issued by the High Courtesy of Justice was handed over to the applicant. 18.06.1896
***
CHROCHET A COTTON OTTOMAN
Register No.: 444
Page No.:54
Number: 596
Authority the Distinctive Sign Applied at: Ministry of Trade and Public Works, Office of Industrial Administration
Date of Application and Submission: 30.04.1897
Name, Residence, Profession of the Applicant: David Davidyan and İncucyan Brothers residing in stores no.4 and 6 in Marputcilar, İstanbul.
Name, Residence, Profession of the Attorney: —-
Type of Products and Goods: On bobbins and balls of the sewing-machine cotton
One sample of these distinctive signs was stuck on the upper side of this page, and another one on a separate sheet to be sent to the High Courtesy of Ministry of Justice, and the fixed duty of eight Ottoman gold coins were paid against receipt to the Account Office. 17.04.1896
Applicants: Signatures: G.Incucyan Biraderler, David Davidyan
Head Clerk: Seal: El-Seyyid Ali Tahsin
Seal: Mustafa Sami, Director of Industrial Affairs
Seal: Ministry of Trade and Public Works
***
SINGER
Register No.: 444
Page No.: 115
Number: 657
Authority the Distinctive Sign Applied at: Ministry of Trade and Public Works, Office of Industrial Administration
Date of Application and Submission: 06.11.1897
Name, Residence, Profession of the Applicant: Subject of Germany, Mr.G.Nayr Lenker residing in Hamburg and owner of the company “Di Zinger Manufaktoring Kompani Nu York”
Name, Residence, Profession of the Attorney: Subject of Russia, Dofnor Çerfaski residing at Noradokyan Hani no.6 and 7 in Galata
Type of Products and Goods: On sewing machines
One sample of these distinctive signs was stuck on the upper side of this page, and another one on a separate sheet to be sent to the High Courtesy of Ministry of Justice, and the fixed duty of ten and a half Ottoman gold coins was paid against receipt to the Account Office. 22.11.1897
Attorney: Signature
Head Clerk: Seal: El-Seyyid Ali Tahsin
Seal: Mustafa Sami, Director of Industrial Affairs
(In Latin Characters)
On 06.10.1951 a copy of the was issued:
In the petition presented by the applicant, the owner of the company “Di Zinger Manufaktoring Kompani Nu York” was indicated as “Nayir Lenker” and this certificate the distinctive sign was prepared and granted accordingly. Since it becomes, however, clear by means of his attested proxy that is found among his documents that the actual proprietor of the distinctive sign is The Singer Manufacturing New York and that Mr.G.Nayir Lenker is the general deputy of the firm, it was recorded here.
Seal: Director of Industrial Affairs Hulusi