International Lawyers Network (JD Supra Greece)

In Greece the main legislative instruments regulating copyright and related rights are: - Law 2121/1993 on Copyright, Related Rights and Cultural Matters (the Copyright Law); and - Law 4481/2017 on the Collective Management of IP Rights and Related Rights and Collecting Organisations.... Originally published on www.internationallawoffice.com.

KEY FACTS OF BANKRUPTCY, INSOLVENCY & REHABILITATION PROCEEDINGS UNDER GREEK LAW - In the Greek law there are several types of proceedings addressing the inability of a merchant debtor (either a natural person or a legal entity) to pay its debts. On one hand, there are Bankruptcy and Special Administration, which are focused mainly on the payment of its debts to its creditors, mainly by...

1. Types of Business Entities - The main business entities in Greece are the following: i) the Société Anonyme (S.A.); ii) the Private Company (P.C.); iii) the Limited Liability Company (Ltd); iv) the General Partnership and the Limited Partnership and v) the Branch. There are also several types of business entities that are used for specific purposes such as the very popular branches/offices...

The field of collective management of music authors’ rights in Greece is currently experiencing a series of ongoing developments regarding the establishment and operation of collecting societies representing music authors in the country, with the situation still remaining uncertain as to how the landscape will look like in a few months’ time.

A recent decision of the Three-Member Court of Appeals of Komotini (Felonies Department), dated 19/11/2019, has been intensely debated by the national media as resulting to the first “real” prison sentence that has ever been imposed in our country to a website owner for illegally distributing copyright-protected content.  Although the judgement has not been published yet, according to the media,...

In the framework of its efforts against online copyright piracy, the Hellenic Copyright Organization (“HCO”, Greek Acronym “OPI”) launched, on August 1st 2019, a new web portal, under the domain name “theLegalBay.gr”. The new website aims to be the place where online users can easily find web platforms available either solely in Greece or worldwide (including in Greece), which provide copyright...

In Greek law, there are several types of proceedings addressing the inability of a merchant debtor (either a natural person or a legal entity) to pay its debts. On one hand, there are Bankruptcy and Special Administration, which are focused mainly on the payment of its debts to its creditors, mainly by liquidation of the debtor’s assets. On the other hand, there are so-called pre-bankruptcy...

While in some jurisdictions the concept of a “patent attorney” or also a “patent judge”, referring to persons who not only have knowledge of patent law but also acquire technical expertise in relation to patents, is common, this is not the case in Greece. Of course, there are lawyers with high-level expertise in patent law, as well as sections of the Courts that try cases related to industrial...

On 26 February 2019, the Hellenic Copyright Organization (Greek acronym: “OPI”) launched a new online service for “electronic timestamping” of all types of works.

1. Types of Business Entities - The main business entities in Greece are the following: i) the Société Anonyme (S.A.); ii) the Private Company (P.C.); iii) the Limited Liability Company (Ltd); iv) the General Partnership and the Limited Partnership and v) the Branch. There are also several types of business entities that are used for specific purposes such as the very popular branches/offices...

KEY FACTS OF REAL ESTATE ACQUISITIONS UNDER GREEK LAW - 1. PROCEDURE – MAIN STEPS OF REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION UNDER GREEK LAW. Acquisition of real estate property in Greece includes mainly the following steps: • Finding the property to be purchased, with the possible assistance of a real estate agent. Usually, the agent’s fee amounts to 2% of the purchase price (plus VAT 24%) but can be...

On November 6, 2018 a remarkable blow was delivered to online piracy in Greece. On that day, the newly-formed “Committee for Online Copyright Infringement” – informally and more descriptively also known as the Greek “Anti-Piracy Committee” – published its first decisions, ordering, by one of those (Decision No. 3/2018), all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Greece to block the access to 38...

The German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) with its decision X 2r 33/10, announced on August 21, 2012, rejects claims for infringement of MPEG-2 video coding patents by a Greek DVD manufacturer: The DVD, as such, is NOT a means of infringement of the patent claim in dispute. On August 21, 2012 the German Federal Court of Justice heard the appeal by the defendant, a Greek DVD...

It is undeniable that the relation of the Greek state with the television stations has always been turbulent, and the legal status regarding these stations has always been uncertain. Law 1866/1989 regulated for the first time the grant of a license for the establishment and operation of non-state stations, but without a tender procedure. This Law also established the National Radio and...