US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6373

UNCLAS ANKARA 006373 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB/TPP/MTA/IPC 
DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR BPECK 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/DDEFALCO 
DEPT PASS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
DEPT PASS USPTO 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, KIPR, TU 
SUBJECT: Turkish Patent Institute on Modernization, Ties 
with U.S. Counterpart, Zyprexa 
 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please Handle Accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) In a November 5 meeting with Econ Couns, 
Econoff and Econ Specialist, Turkish Patent Institute 
(Turkish acronym TPE) President Yusuf Balci said he 
would like to reach out to the U.S. Patent and Trademark 
Office (PTO) in the context of his institution's 
modernization and development, much of which has been 
financed by the World Bank.  Econ Couns briefed Balci on 
Eli Lilly's Zyprexa issue and urged him to take action 
to prevent marketing approval for patent-infringing 
generic copies of this drug. 
 
2. (U) Econ Couns paid an introductory call on Yusuf 
Balci, President of TPE, which moved into a large and 
modern facility in Ankara last spring.   Balci told us 
that the World Bank had financed a large part of TPE's 
modernization project, which included the move to a new 
facility. 
 
3. (U) TPE is a member of the European Patent Institute 
(EPI), and uses EPI and the Russian Patent Institute to 
conduct patent searches.  Balci stated that he hoped TPE 
would gradually begin to take on an increasing share of 
these searches in house.  Balci hopes that Turkey's EPI 
membership and European orientation will not detract 
from fruitful cooperation with non-European counterparts 
like PTO.  Balci participated in the recent PTO-Justice 
Ministry workshop on IPR enforcement, and his staff has 
said that they plan to nominate an employee for PTO 
training to be held in the spring of 2005.  Balci told 
us that he hopes to go beyond training programs and 
seminars, and to engage with PTO in exchange of 
expertise and knowhow.  Econ Couns undertook to 
communicate this desire to PTO. 
 
4. (SBU) Econ Couns took the opportunity to raise Eli 
Lilly's concerns about the applications of generic 
manufacturers for marketing approval of a copy of 
Zyprexa, which has a valid Turkish patent not due to 
expire until 2016.  The company is concerned that one 
application is in the final stages of the approval 
process.  We provided copies of recent correspondence 
initiated by the Ambassador and Senator Lugar on this 
problem, and asked Balci to help ensure that the patent 
is not infringed.  Balci, who was not familiar with the 
issue, responded that he had no power to stop marketing 
approval by the Health Ministry, but offered to contact 
counterparts in that Ministry to convey our concerns. 
Edelman