Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the Copyright Awards held at the İstanbul Congress Center by the Culture and Tourism Ministry in regards to April 26th World Intellectual Property Day, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they have taken it upon themselves to combat the production, trade and consumption of all illegal goods and said, “We present to your consideration the ten points we see necessary for success in this endeavor. These are: Illegal goods deceive the consumers. Illegal goods present a serious health hazard. Illegal goods threaten the security of your private information. Buying illegal goods is being accessory to crime. The trading of illegal goods is unfair to the honest investor. Illegal goods increase unemployment. Intellectual and Industrial Copyrights prevent the violation of rights. The combat can only be conducted through strong legislation. The transition to registered economy should be encouraged. Law is also the basis of registered economy.”

Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik stated that the Orhun Inscriptions and Mostar Bridge are Turkey’s intellectual property and that intellectual rights go beyond national borders. Receiving an award, Orhan Gencebay gave a reading of a poem he wrote 17 years ago, calling for unity and solidarity.

- Awards and ceremony

Receiving awards in the category of Contributions to the Public Sensibility were Orhan Gencebay, Ayşe Kulin, İskender Pala, Mehtap Elaidi, Doğus Publishing Group, Anadolu University and the İstanbul Police Department.

The World Intellectual Property Organization gave out two awards to Yılmaz Erdoğan and Eşref Armağan, the WIPO Creativity Award.

Omar Katbi received a plaque for his contributions to the work of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Gürol Ağırbaş and his orchestra performed live during the event which was attended by İstanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, İstanbul Police Department Director Hüseyin Çapkın and many artists.