Team

Serhat Koç, LL.M. IT

Founding Partner & Legal Counsel at Koç & Partners Legal

Attorney at Law · University Lecturer · Keynote Speaker · Policy Analyst · Digital Rights Advocate · Activist · Creative Commons Supporter · Entrepreneur · Photographer · Citizen Journalist · Blogger · Free Software Foundation Volunteer · Pirate · Pescatarian · Humanist · Advocate of “Freedom of Knowledge”

🏢 Professional Overview

As Founding Partner and Legal Counsel at Koç & Partners Legal, Mr. Koç leads a distinguished career advising a diverse client portfolio on legal compliance, IT and IP disputes, and policy engagement:

  • Managing legal compliance and IT-IP dispute strategies for clients
  • Liaising with governmental bodies and sector associations
  • Providing written assessments and tailored legal actions
  • Monitoring statutory and regulatory developments
  • Drafting and revising national and multinational IT/IP contracts
  • Crafting Terms of Use and Privacy Policies compliant with Law No. 5651 and related regulations
  • Handling Internet and IP litigation before Turkish courts, with client reporting in English
  • Advising on cutting‑edge IT‑law matters: online safety, anti‑spam, anti‑phishing, hacking
  • Supporting client acquisition and deployment of IT products and services

He serves as Attorney at Law / Legal Counsel, skillfully managing both transactional and contentious matters in IT and intellectual property, from e‑commerce, software licensing, databases, to cybersecurity compliance.

🎓 Education & Academic Credentials

  • LL.M. in Information Technology Law, Istanbul Bilgi University (scholarship), with thesis “Legal Analysis of Social Media and Comparative Legislative Solution Proposals”
  • LL.B. equivalent from Ankara University Faculty of Law
  • Harvard Law School, Berkman Center for Internet and Society – CopyrightX course, 2019
  • Doctoral pre‑candidacy studies in Post‑Truth Law

Specialized Training:

  • “Information Technology and Forensic Sciences Course”, İzmir Institute of High Technology, 2009
  • “MENA Internet Policy Research Methods”, Annenberg School (UPenn), Citizen Lab collaboration, 2015

📚 Teaching & Academic Contributions

Lecturer at national universities; instructs at both undergraduate and master’s levels:

  • Internet Law
  • Data Protection & Privacy Law
  • Cybercrime & E‑Commerce Law
  • Intellectual & Industrial Property Law
  • Legal English
  • Foundations of IT Law
  • Law of New & Disruptive Technologies

Textbook Contributions:

  • Author of “Licensing Agreements” & “Digital Rights Management” chapters in Copyright and Ethics in Web, Eskişehir Anadolu University (2018)

📝 Publications & Conference Leadership

International Conference Proceedings:

  • Online Privacy: Technical and Legal Aspects, Inet‑TR 2014 (with E. Karaarslan & M.B. Eren)
  • Law No. 5651 and Internet Censorship in Turkey, Intl. Informatics Law Conf. 2013
  • ECtHR-Based Evaluation of Internet Censorship under Law 5651, Intl. Informatics Law Conf. 2011 (with S. Kaynak)
  • Personal Data Privacy in E-Government Systems, Intl. Informatics Law Conf. 2010 (with E. Karaarslan & G. Akın)

National Journals:

  • “Licenses to Encourage Creativity: Creative Commons”, Fikri Mülkiyet Hukuku Yıllığı, 2017
  • “Copyright and User‑Generated Content”, Fikri Mülkiyet Hukuku Yıllığı, 2016
  • “New Challenges in Copyright Law: Social Media”, Journal of Folklore/Literature 2015
  • “So Unlimited; So Ending”, Güncel Hukuk, 2013
  • “New Media and the Changing Legal Liabilities”, Pi Marketing & Communication Culture, 2012

Book Chapters:

  • Legislation on Protection of Personal Data in Medicine, İzmir Tinaztepe University, 2022
  • Conversations on Spatial Media in the Digital Age, Siyasal Kitabevi, 2020
  • Turkish Way of 1984: Beyond Gezi, 2017
  • Digital Activism or Street Riot?, İnternet ve Sokak, 2015
  • @ State of the Resistance, Digital Resistance anthology, 2014

National Conference Proceeding:

  • Internet & Personal Security in IT Crimes, Academic Informatics Conf. (AB10), 2011

🤝 Policy, Civil Society & Professional Engagement

  • Founding Member, Internet Society Turkey Chapter & Creative Commons Turkey
  • Board Member, Legal Advisory Board of OYUNDER (Turkish Game Developers Association)
  • Council Member, Istanbul Bar Association’s IT Law & Personal Data Protection Councils
  • Contributor, Common Platform Against Internet Censorship
  • Member, Intellectual Property Platform Academic Research Group
  • Advisor, Beyond the Net initiative (Internet Society)
  • Member, Internet Society (Global) & Informatics Association of Turkey (TBD)

📷 Personal Interests & Extracurricular Activities

INTERESTS

  • Photography & Short Filmmaking, History of Cinema, Graphic Design, Digital Storytelling
  • Information Systems, Computing & Internet Technology
  • Social Philosophy, International Political Strategies
  • Go (strategic board game and philosophy)

PERSONAL PROFILE:
A non‑smoker pescatarian humanist who embraces knowledge freedom, volunteerism, piracy‑spirit, and digital activism.

🔗 Connect with Serhat Koç

💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kocserhat/

🐦 Twitter: @mckrees

For a full list of academic credentials, publications, and professional experience, please refer to his detailed CV available at serhatkoc.com/cv.