Samanyolu Has Legal Right To Reassigned Frequencies, Says Lawyer

Samanyolu TV still retains the legal right to use television frequencies that were recently given to a newly created, pro-government channel, according to the attorney representing Samanyolu.

Samanyolu TV was controversially removed from the state-owned Turkish Satellite Communications Company (Türksat) on Nov. 15 and the frequencies it had used were given to a new channel, Son Hedef (Final Target), earlier this week.

Stating that Samanyolu TV still holds the rights to the frequencies in question, Fikret Duran, Samanyolu TV's lawyer, added that the channel had paid Türksat for the use of the frequencies until the end of November. “[What Türksat did] is against the law,” Duran said.

The lawyer noted that the frequencies couldn't be reassigned before a complaint filed by Samanyolu TV against Türksat has been resolved. “The complaint filed by Samanyolu Media Group is still in progress. The right to use the frequencies still belongs to the Samanyolu group because the court has not given its decision yet,” he said.

Samanyolu also had a contract for service until 2024 and the Samanyolu Broadcasting Group channels were removed from the state infrastructure despite there being a court decision forbidding the act.

Duran also noted that that Son Hedef is illegally imitating Samanyolu by broadcasting former Samanyolu series, adding that he would be requesting that a cease and desist notice be sent to Türksat. He added that Samanyolu TV will file a lawsuit against Türksat and Son Hedef TV for trademark infringement if the activity continues.

Son Hedef has an obvious resemblance to Samanyolu. For example, Son Hedef's logo features a white “S” on a red background that is almost identical to the Samanyolu logo and the new channel broadcasts several series that had appeared on Samanyolu. It also features frequent advertisements for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

The Samanyolu Broadcasting Group is among the few media outlets in Turkey that are critical of the government. More than a dozen television and radio stations owned by the group were recently dropped from Türksat, despite a contract for service until 2024 and a legal order forbidding the removal.

The TV and radio stations removed from Türksat included: Burç FM, Dünya Radyo, Dünya TV, Ebru TV, Irmak TV, MC EU, MC TV, Mehtap TV, Radyo Berfin, Radyo Cihan, Radyo Mehtap, Samanyolu Africa, Samanyolu Haber, Samanyolu Haber Radio, Samanyolu TV, Samanyolu TV Europe, Tuna Shopping TV and Yumurcak TV. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)