Trademark Registration in Greece

 

Trademark registration in Greece is regulated under the national Greek law and the laws of the European Union (EU). The procedure allows the owner of a trademark to register it on the Greek territory and to protect a product or a service against copyright infringements.

 

That means that other entities or individuals who may have a similar trademark for a similar product will not be able to register it in Greece due to the fact that a trademark has already been registered. 

 

Investors interested in setting up a company in Greece are, of course, entitled to register with the local institutions for the protection of any trademark, as long as the respective sign respects the minimum requirements imposed by the law.

 

For more information on this subject, our team of consultants in company formation in Greece remains at your disposal. 
 

 

 

The registration of a Greek trademark can be done online since 2014, when the Greek authorities, namely the Trademark Office of Greece, has developed an online tool

 

This was created under the Cooperation Fund, a project of the former Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), which is now operating under the name of European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). 

 

The implementation of the new system has reduced the time spent with the procedure of trademark registration in Greece; regardless of the system selected by an applicant, it is necessary to provide the same type of documents in order to ensure that the registration process can start without any issues. 

 

In the following section, our consultants in company registration in Greece will present the main steps applicants have to respect in this process.

 

Prior to starting this procedure, it is recommended to verify which are the signs and other marks that can be registered in this country and if there are any aspects that are not clear, our specialists can help you. 

 

First, it is worth knowing that the registration can be done as a single class registration or as a multiple class registration (this refers to the number of classes of services or products that the trademark can represent).

 

The registration itself will require the payment of a processing fee, which is a customary requirement in the case of most of the files which are processed by the representatives of the state, including for Greek company formation. 

 

The applicant must prepare a set of minimum details for trademark registration in Greece and this refers to the following: 

 

1. the physical representation of the trademarks;
2. the products or services that the trademark is made for;
3. information regarding the applicant;
4. the power of attorney, in the case in which the applicant is delegated by another party to complete this procedure. 

 

In Greece, the trademark registration is available for a period of 10 years, which is the standard registration validity at a EU level. When the 10 years period expires, the owner of the trademark can apply for a renewal of the registration, if he or she still uses the trademark. 

 

How do Greek authorities analyze a trademark application?

1. if the applicant has paid the registration fees;
2. if the trademark has all the elements that can qualify the respective sign, mark etc., as a trademark in accordance with the provisions of the law; 
3. if the goods and services for which the trademark is created are clearly presented. 

1. the trademark is very similar to another trademark that has already been registered, and both trademarks define the same category of goods/services or even the same goods/services;
2. the trademark registration is done by a person, agent or representative without the written consent of the owner of the trademark;
3. the trademark overlaps with a sign or trademark registered as geographical indication mark. 

 

 

All matters concerning the registration of a trademark, its usage, opposition, duration and so on are regulated under the local legislation.

 

Any person interested in starting this procedure is advised to study the basic law regarding this, so that they can be aware of the implications of the registration, the rights and the obligations associated with it and any other legal considerations, some of which are presented in the following list: 

 

 

Please mind that one can lose the right to use the trademark registered in Greece in the case in which the trademark is not used, even in the case in which the applicant is the rightful owner of the mark.

 

This can happen after 5 years since the registration, provided that the holder of the trademark has not used the sign in the entire period.

 

We invite you to contact our team of specialists, who can help you open a company in Greece and register with any of the local institutions, including the ones related to intellectual property.