Greece

Mirroring the decade of economic hardship that Greece has endured, the IP market has had its own fair share of bumps and bruises. Patent firms have noted marked declines in the work available, with even the biggest firms seeing 30% of their instructions disappear over the past 10 years. There are still silver linings to be found though. In contentious work, a resounding uptake in pharmaceutical litigation over the last 12 months is driving a partial recovery for litigators. The sector is already resolute and an improving financial situation will help to ensure an increasingly hospitable venue in which these actors can assert their IP rights. The nascent domestic innovation scene has also fostered an increase in prosecution work, mostly in national filings, as companies seek cheaper and more rapidly granted patents than those filed at the European Patent Office or under the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

A & K Metaxopoulos & Partners Law Firm

A & K Metaxopoulos & Partners is renowned for its hand-in-glove collaboration with clients in the media technology world. Familiar with every nook and cranny of the entertainment industry, the firm’s professionals are never wrong-footed by opposing counsel. The technical mastery, creativity and rigour of name partner Kriton Metaxopoulos make him an obvious choice. However, fellow fighter Irini Daroussou is also extremely popular; she delivers exhaustive, practical, business-minded counsel on all aspects of the patent lifecycle.

Ballas, Pelecanos & Associates LPC

“Ballas, Pelecanos & Associates is a vastly experienced firm known for its high-quality support in all areas of intellectual property. Its representation of pharmaceutical companies specialising in generic drugs is superb; aside from rock-solid legal knowledge, its lawyers also have excellent communication skills.” Leading from the vanguard, George Ballas is as good as they come. In the last seven years, he has been involved in 35 patent disputes, a recent highlight being his support for Pharmathen on a cancellation action with the Supreme Administrative Court of Greece concerning a supplementary protection certificate granted to the client’s competitor Biogen. He has a talent for making technically challenging concepts understandable and engaging for judges.

Dr Helen G Papaconstantinou and Partners 

The “world-renowned” Dr Helen G Papaconstantinou and Partners continues to impress with its “fantastic” prosecution support. “Queries are responded to immediately and work is always executed on time. Its lawyers show the utmost professionalism.” Everyone in its 13-strong team can be relied on, but figurehead Helen G Papaconstantinou really is a world apart. A woman for all seasons, she has seen everything there is to see in the IP realm and cemented her status as a doyenne by becoming president of the Greek group of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property.

KLC Law Firm

Esteemed business bureau KLC serves up a premium suite of IP services – from filing through technology transfers to courtroom representation – with an unwavering commitment to its clients’ long-term commercial objectives. The outfit’s ability to assist in eight different languages explains the abundance of international entities on its roster. Kate Michalopoulou should be the first port of call for interested parties.

Patrinos & Kilimiris

The 1919-established Patrinos & Kilimiris is the oldest IP firm in Greece, and it shows in the sophistication and seamlessness of its service; over the last century it has routinely asked clients what can be done to improve their experience and then implemented their recommendations. Anastasios Kilimiris is a true pleasure to work with. He listens carefully, weighs up all available options and then dispenses clear, simple advice that senior business executives can readily digest. His workload encompasses contentious and non-contentious matters. The battle-hardened Constantinos Kilimiris is among the most respected pharmaceutical litigators in Greece. When scrutinising case materials, he lets nothing – no matter how minor – go unconsidered. He recently teamed up with the fleet-footed and pragmatic Manolis Metaxakis on preliminary injunction proceedings for Helm Swiss against Anfarm Hellas to prevent the manufacture of a generic Levothyroxine solution; this provided one of the few judgments in the country confirming infringement on the basis of the doctrine of equivalents.

Prentoulis Gerakini Law Partnership

Prentoulis Gerakini Law Partnership marries extensive local knowledge and experience, handling matters before the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation with a modern, cosmopolitan outlook and an unerring focus on business concerns. With an A-to-Z set of services, it maps out watertight portfolio management strategies and rushes to the rescue when infringement trouble is brewing. Name partner Nikos Prentoulis leads the line up with a steady hand. He is an “analytically sharp” practitioner who finishes putting together even the most challenging patent puzzles while opposing counsel are still scratching their heads. As one foreign associates succinctly describes, Prentoulis is “the very best IP lawyer in Greece”. “His sound commercial reasoning allows him to stand out not only as a heavyweight litigator but also and most notably as a business partner, willing to go the extra mile and think outside the box to get important deals through.” Nancy Gerakini has her fair share of plaudits too. “Her combination of in-house pharmaceutical experience and commercial litigation expertise is extremely helpful – and hard to find in Greece. She really has superb technical and legal knowledge as well as excellent communication skills.”

Other recommended experts

Managing partner at Vayanos Kostopoulos Nikolaos Lyberis shows immense commitment and care in everything he handles. His courtroom pleadings are always pitch-perfect. Voelkel Kataliakos’s Henning Voelkel is an exquisite litigator with an affinity for plant variety issues; given that this is a growing area, his phone is likely to be engaged more often that not.