VZCZCXRO1031
PP RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0732/01 1421238
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221238Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9713
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/TREASURY DEPT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 5769
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 3865

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000732 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE, EEB/TPP/IPE 
DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR MMOWREY 
DEPT PLEASE PASS USPTO FOR JURBAN, MSMITH 
COMMERCE FOR CRUSNAK AND KNAJDI 
TREASURY FOR FPARODI 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD EFIN TU
SUBJ: TURKISH NATIONAL POLICE CONTINUES SUCCESSFUL SEIZURES 
 
Ref: A) ANKARA 705, B) ANKARA 326 
 
This cable is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  Following two major operations that yielded more 
than a million pirated CDs and DVDs and hundreds of thousands of 
counterfeit pharmaceuticals in April and May (Ref A), the Turkish 
National Police (TNP) announced on May 20 that it seized 1 million 
pirated books in Istanbul.  TNP officials said they confiscated 15 
printing machines and 1,350 book templates in this operation, and 10 
people were taken into custody and estimates that the market value 
of the books seized is as high as TL20 million (USD 13 million). 
Increased TNP seizures indicate the growing acceptance among Turkish 
law enforcement of the idea that producing and trading counterfeit 
products is a crime.  However, the lack of speedy trial processes 
and deterrent penalties remain a matter of concern for rights 
holders.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Turkish National Police (TNP) Istanbul Security Directorate's 
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Division held a press conference 
on May 21 to announce their successful seizure of 1 million pirated 
books on May 20.  TNP Istanbul IPR Division cooperated with the 
Organized Crime Department in these raids, conducted concurrently in 
seven warehouses in different parts of Istanbul.  The raids came as 
a result of TNP's technical surveillance on Hasan Gul, who was 
previously arrested for pirated book production and trading but was 
released pending trial.  Including Gul, 10 people were taken into 
custody in the operation. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In yesterday's press conference, Istanbul TNP Security 
Branch Director Ilyas Burunak announced that, in addition to the 
pirated books of 98 Turkish and international writers, the TNP 
seized 15 printing machines and 1,350 book templates in the 
operation.  "We estimate that the approximate market value of the 
books is TL20 million," said Burunak.  The TNP also found 
distribution charts for the books to be sold in various cities. 
Also speaking at the press conference, Turkish writers Elif Safak, 
Iskender Pala and Tuna Kiremitci stressed the harm pirated books 
caused to all parties involved in the production of the original 
books, and gave the message that the sale of pirated books is not a 
victimless crime.  Note: The active participation by several 
important authors contrasted positively with the private sector's 
lack of strong public reaction for the DVD and pharmaceutical 
seizures (described Ref A).   This participation is important to TNP 
and hopefully will encourage TNP to continue these raids.  End note. 
 
 
¶4. (U) Commenting on the seizure, Dogan Books General Manager Gulgul 
Carkoglu praised the efforts of TNP in going after the pirates, but 
complained about the average 2- 5 years for an IPR prosecution to be 
brought to conclusion.  Carkoglu pointed out the difficulties law 
enforcement agencies faced in finding warehouses to keep the seized 
material until the cases are finalized.  "The Governor's Office 
provided a warehouse for this seizure, but otherwise, our printing 
house would be asked to pay for the warehouse expenses," said 
Carkoglu.  Referring to Elif Safak's new bestseller book, Carkoglu 
said Dogan Books had printed 130,000 copies of the book in its first 
three months, whereas 100,000 pirated copies of it were seized in 
this operation. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Kenan Kocaturk, the owner of Literatur Publications, 
pointed out the deficiencies in the court system, where printing 
pirated books is not seen as a serious crime.  The courts are even 
more tolerant when the defendant is a poor street seller, according 
to Kocaturk.  Kocaturk suggested that the GOT include piracy in the 
definition of organized crimes, which would have a strong, deterrent 
impact on piracy.  Kocaturk claimed there were only a few pirates in 
the printing business, whose names were familiar to the sector and 
the Ministry of Culture.  "If the GOT transferred its banderol 
proceeds to the collecting societies for the prevention of piracy, I 
am sure we would end this problem," said Kocaturk. Note: As reported 
Ref B, the Ministry of Culture plans to transfer day-to-day control 
of the banderol process to the collecting societies in the near 
future.  End note. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: This TNP seizure, coming after two other major IPR 
seizures in the last couple of months, signals an improvement both 
in the Turkish law enforcement's capability to detect IPR violations 
and its perception of piracy as a crime.  This perception, which led 
them to use technical surveillance methods normally reserved for 
organized crime in going after the pirates, played a major role in 
increased seizures.  This is a new, significant step forward in 
 
ANKARA 00000732  002 OF 002 
 
 
Turkey's fight against IPR crimes. More work needs to be done, 
however, to improve and expedite the judicial process. 
End comment. 
 
JEFFREY