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According to a report by Atakan Irmak of Sabah, Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. has filed an application with the Istanbul Intellectual and Industrial Rights Civil Court, accusing Turkish international Kerem Akturkoglu of using visual and audio elements from the Harry Potter universe without permission.
The Hollywood giant argued that the Fenerbahce winger repeatedly shared references to the Harry Potter franchise in his social media posts, especially in videos celebrating goals. In its petition, Warner Bros underlined that phrases such as “Harry Potter,” “Hogwarts,” and “Gryffindor” are registered trademarks in Türkiye with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, adding that these brands hold significant commercial value worldwide and are not limited to books and films.
The company submitted a detailed chart of trademark registrations to the court, claiming that Akturkoglu openly referenced these protected marks in multiple posts on Instagram and Twitter.
Documents presented to the court state that the player used Hedwig’s Theme — the iconic music from the film series — in his social media content. The submitted videos allegedly include animated characters resembling Harry Potter, the Hogwarts crest, and scenes and costumes reminiscent of the movies.
Warner Bros maintains that all these elements were used without permission, amounting to both copyright and trademark infringement.
Warner Bros said these actions violate the economic and moral rights of the copyright holder under Türkiye’s Intellectual and Artistic Works Law. The studio also argued that the posts constitute unfair competition under the Turkish Commercial Code.
The company asked the court to instruct an independent expert to examine the relevant Instagram Reel and Twitter posts.
Warner Bros requested the assessment be carried out without prior notification to the footballer, to determine whether copyrighted music, characters, logos or other protected visuals from the Harry Potter universe were indeed used.
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