Software Copyright: Source Code and Evidence of Ownership
Software protection requires attention to the code, the development history and the agreements between the people involved. Under Turkish copyright law, eligible computer programs can be protected as works. A software product's name can raise a separate trademark question, so protecting the brand does not by itself resolve ownership of the code.
Copyright and optional registration
Copyright for a qualifying work generally arises on creation. Optional registration with the relevant Ministry can assist with evidence, but it is not a mandatory step that creates ownership. A registration record should not be described as an unquestionable title that resolves every future dispute. The facts of authorship and the applicable agreements still matter.
Preserve the development history
Keep source files, version control history, dated specifications, delivery records and relevant access logs. These materials may help show how the software developed and who contributed. Preserve originals and avoid relying only on a public launch date. Where copying is suspected, the precise version and the allegedly copied elements need to be identified.
Review contracts and licences
Employment, freelance development and customer contracts should address economic rights and permitted uses clearly. Payment for a development project should not be assumed to settle every licensing or transfer question. Track third-party and open-source components separately and comply with the licences that apply to them.
Plan an evidence file
Combine contracts, source history, release records and any optional registration documents in a coherent timeline. The general economic protection period is the author's lifetime and seventy years after death, with particular cases requiring separate review. Özgel Patent assists with documentation and coordination within its professional scope. Questions involving litigation or disputed rights should be assessed with the appropriate lawyer before formal action.
Prepared by Özgel Patent · Content reviewed: 3 November 2026. Official reference and current information. This is general information; current requirements and the facts of each file need individual assessment.