Turkey protects national anthem against copyright claims with new law

The Turkish government prepares to extend their law on intellectual property to ensure that the national anthem becomes public property.

The proposed bylaw is the result of an interesting claim of the German collecting society GEMA. After a Turkish school in Germany played the Turkish national anthem in 2007, a letter arrived in which compensation for the rights holders was demanded. The school objected to the claim and asked the Turkish ministry of Culture for help.

The composer of the 89-year-old anthem, Zeki Üngör, passed away in 1958. As no provisions had been made for the rights to the anthem, these still lie with the heirs of Üngör. The new bylaw aims to transfer the rights from the composer’s estate to the national authorities, so that no one can claim royalties if the anthem is played.