GREECE Law and Practice Contributed by: Anastasia Dritsa, Elisabeth Eleftheriades, Vicky Kriketou, Irene Kyriakides, Ioanna Kyriazi, Victoria Mertikopoulou, Claire Pavlou and Panagiotis Pothos, Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law Firm
• cease and desist letters; • civil proceedings seeking injunctions, damages and measures such as recall, removal or destruc - tion of infringing goods; • interim measures; • criminal liability in counterfeiting cases; • customs enforcement measures; and • opposition, revocation and invalidity proceedings. Signs that have acquired distinctive character through use may also enjoy protection without registration. 7.3 Industrial Designs Definition Industrial designs, governed mainly by Presiden - tial Decree 259/1997, protect the appearance of the whole or part of a product, provided it is new and has Registered designs are protected for five years from filing, renewable for successive five-year periods up to a maximum of 25 years. Unregistered Community designs are protected for three years from first disclosure within the EU. Registration Process Protection is available through the following: • National Designs: An application is filed with OBI. Following formal examination, OBI issues a reg - istration certificate and the registered design is subsequently published. • EU Designs (Regulation (EU) 2024/2822): Appli - cations are filed with EUIPO and follow a similar registration procedure to national designs. individual character. Length of Protection • International Design Registrations (Hague System): A single international application may be filed with WIPO, designating Greece. Following publication in the International Register and absent refusal, the design enjoys protection as if registered nationally. Enforcement and Remedies Right holders may seek cessation of the infringement, injunctions against future infringements and damages. Courts may also order withdrawal, removal from the market or destruction of infringing goods. A design
may additionally qualify for trade mark and/or copy - right protection where applicable. 7.4 Copyright Definition Copyright is an intellectual property right granted to original literary, artistic or scientific works in any form, including both economic and moral rights. The main applicable framework is Law 2121/1993. Length of Protection Copyright lasts for the author’s life plus 70 years, calculated from 1 January of the year following the author’s death. Registration Process In Greece, copyright is not subject to registration. Pro - tection arises automatically upon creation of the work. Enforcement and Remedies Enforcement mechanisms include: • civil actions, including injunctions and damages; • interim measures; • criminal sanctions; and • administrative enforcement measures, including notice-and-takedown procedures for digital con - tent. 7.5 Others Software is protected as a literary work under copy - right law, covering source and object code. Software- related inventions may be patentable if they produce a technical effect. Databases are protected through: • a sui generis right, where there has been substan - tial investment in obtaining, verifying or presenting the contents; and • copyright protection, where the selection or arrangement of the contents constitutes an original intellectual creation. Law 4605/2019 protects trade secrets. Protection requires that the information be secret, have commer - cial value and be subject to reasonable confidentiality measures.
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