A Turkish bookseller takes on the French giant

It's a case of Hermes against Hermes. The Paris-based global luxury goods giant is suing the other, a cozy bookseller tucked away in a Turkish coastal town, for alleged trade name infringement.

Umit Nar, owner of the Sahaf Hermes store in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, maintains that he has been in business for 15 years and has never been mistaken for a French luxury goods maker.

In fact, Nar explained to AFP, the name “Hermes” comes from the ancient Greek god of commerce and belongs to everyone. “Hermes, Zeus or Santa Claus belong to the cultural heritage of humanity,” says the 51-year-old.

“No company should be able to monopolize these names, which are anchored in our collective memory.”

Nar's problems began in December 2021, when he applied to register the name of his bookstore as a trademark.

“Sahaf” means “second-hand bookseller” in Turkish.

He was a secondhand bookseller blessed by the ancient Greek god of commerce, Nar thought, a clever name he wanted to register with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TurkPatent).

“It's not fair”

This measure was noted by the French giant's office in Turkey, which asked TurkPatent and the courts to suspend the trademark registration.

It also sought to prohibit the owner from using the name “Hermes” in its commercial and online activities.

The French company did not respond to several requests for comment from AFP.

But in its judicial brief, the French manufacturer highlighted the “similarity and risk of confusion” between the two brands, despite their activity in different sectors.

The first hearing of the trial was held last month and a second is scheduled for March 27. But rather than sit back and hope for the best, Nar decided to plead his case through a social media campaign, with the ultimate goal of drawing the attention of the brand's headquarters in Paris.

“If I had opened a shoe store or a textile store with the name Hermes, it would be understandable, but our fields are very different,” Nar said.

“Hermes sells luxury leather bags for thousands of euros and I sell second-hand books worth 15 Turkish liras (45 cents),” she says.

“The argument that we may be confused is ridiculous. It is also an insult to the intelligence of your clients.”

Nar, who also heads Turkey's second-hand booksellers' association, said a name change would be disastrous for his business.

“Most people know me as Sahaf Hermes and not by my real name,” he said.

Additionally, the god Hermes is closely associated with the history of Smyrna, which the ancient Greeks called Smyrna when it was under their control.

“It is not fair that an international company can confiscate a cultural element,” Nar said.