Hermes v Hermes: Turkey bookshop marks win in copyright fight

'Hermes is a god in Greek mythology who belongs to the cultural heritage of humanity. He should not be owned by a company. This is an important decision in that sense,' says bookseller Umit Nar, whose shop is in the western city of Izmir. Photo: AFP

A bookseller in Turkey notched a victory over a French luxury house in a copyright battle to be able to call itself Hermes, the shop's lawyer said earlier this week, hailing an infrequent win against a major brand.

An Ankara court ruling partially voided a decision by TurkPatent, Turkey's intellectual property authority, that prevented any brand other than Hermes Paris from using the name Hermes.