GreeceEU directive provides little help to Greek patent owners

In Greek legal theory and practice, IP rights comprise copyright and industrial property rights, as defined in Article 8(18) of Law 2557/199. However, when the EU IP Rights Enforcement Directive (2004/48/EC) was implemented into Greek law, the legislature adopted a much more restrictive view of IP rights than that taken in the directive. As a result, Law 3524/2007, which was supposed to harmonise Greek law with the directive, has so far amended only the Copyright Law (2121/1993). Although the EU directive refers to every form of intel lectual property, the Greek implementing law has not yet had any effect or application on trademark or patent law. Even if, as is generally expected, the directive is incorporated into a forthcoming amendment of the Trademark Law, there has been no discussion about whether the new law will modify the Patent Law (1733/87).

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