Leading Individuals

Firms To Watch: Intellectual property

REVERA Law Firm fields a ‘very well organised and reliable team’ which has a ‘very strong practice in the field of intellectual property law’. It is new to the Cypriot market (though fields offices in other countries) and is headed by Savvas Savva, Helen Mourashko and Eftychia Constantinou.

Intellectual property in Cyprus

Chrysostomides Advocates & Legal Consultants

The vastly experienced team at Chrysostomides Advocates & Legal Consultants handles a broad spectrum of trademark, patent, design and copyright law matters, in addition to all other related IP issues. The excellent practice is co-led by senior partner Eleni Chrysostomides and Alexandros Georgiades, and acts for some of the world’s most renowned worldwide companies on their IP filings and the management of their anti-counterfeiting programmes. It routinely advises on the prosecution of trademarks, all licensing and franchising issues as well as trademark co-existence and distribution agreements. Chrysostomides is highly sought after for her work on interlocutory injunctions restraining defendants from infringing trademarks, patents or copyright-protected materials. Georgiades has a broad range of expertise, and is particularly well-regarded in the pharmaceutical sector.

Practice head(s):

Eleni Chrysostomides; Alexandros Georgiades


Testimonials

‘Their academic level is of the highest degree, they respond within the same day and have successfully handled many court cases’.

‘Their very distinguished lawyers act with great flexibility and adaptability making the collaboration with them smooth and easy. They have proven very adaptable and flexible with different billing requirements and adjustments’.

‘Mrs. Eleni Chrysostomides is a very experienced lawyer of the highest level. Alexandros Georgiades is a valuable partner and lawyer’.

‘They are characterised by their high intelligence, honesty and integrity. They are able to provide advice and simple solutions to difficult cases, avoiding unnecessary expense and litigation. Their level of English is that of a native speaker’.

‘Client friendly, full of experts in their field and prepared to go the extra mile for you’.

‘Eleni Chrysostomides is stand out and always able to help clients in a friendly efficient manner’.

Work highlights


  • Successfully defended the trade mark rights of a very well known brand.
  • Acting on behalf of a global clothing brand and owner of a famous trademark and a logo, in filing an opposition against the registration of a third party.
  • Upon its client’s instructions, it filed an opposition to the registration of a significant word in the name of a Cypriot company. A co-existence agreement was eventually reached.

Elias Neocleous & Co LLC

The first-class team at Elias Neocleous & Co LLC handles all types of intellectual property covering patent and trademark protection, design registration, copyright and the licensing of technology. Key senior figures of the large team are Andrea Kallis Parparinou  and Ramona Livera along with Christos Melides . It is retained by some major clients, including several global pharmaceutical companies, to monitor their trademark and patent applications to identify potential infringements of their intellectual property rights. It also works closely with start-ups, especially in the tech and legal-tech industry, and supports clients in respect of Cyprus’s intellectual property box regime.

Practice head(s):

Andrea Kallis Parparinou; Ramona Livera; Christos Melides


Key clients

Bolton Technologies Limited


Moderna Switzerland GmbH


Seattle Genetics Inc


Boltonshield A.G


Invel Real Estate Management Limited


British High Commission, Nicosia


Cyprus Mail Company Limited


Cyprus Tourism Development Corporation Ltd


European University Cyprus


Prodea Real Estate Investment Company S.A


Parklane Hotels


Huawei Technologies


KKCG Group


Limassol Marina


Embryon Fertility Centre


Samsung Group


Landmark Hotel


Work highlights


  • Assisted its client with the registration of its trademarks and responding to oppositions filed against registration.
  • Advised its client on the registrability and/or use of a proposed new trademark.
  • As part of its proposed expansion into Cyprus it advised a major international retail group on the franchising of brands, trademark protection and licencing, product compliance and personal data compliance.

Lellos P Demetriades Law Office

The specialised team at Lellos P Demetriades Law Office advises on diverse issues relating to intellectual property and is known for its creation of bespoke antipiracy plans. It has particular strength in the food/drink industry, the apparel industry as well as the pharmaceutical sectors. Achilleas Demetriades is a European patent attorney and often acts on behalf of rights-holders, and is recommended for his work on pharmaceutical regulatory matters. Nicoletta Epaminonda advises on the full range of intellectual property matters and assists clients with the enforcement of their rights through litigation where necessary. Furthermore, Epaminonda is experienced in obtaining patent protection for her clients’ inventions and regularly collaborates with a network of experienced patent attorneys.

Practice head(s):

Achilleas Demetriades; Nicoletta Epaminonda


Testimonials

‘Super responsive team that understands the demands of a coordination case such that they provide advice as and when required with accuracy and speed’.

‘Nicoletta Epaminonda, who has an incredibly engaging and friendly style of practice, though not at the expense of the advice she provides’.

‘The team has a strong expertise in the trademark prosecution field. They provide high quality services for a much competitive price. The legal opinions are sound, full, clear and straight to the point. The team is also very fast in responding to any request’.

Michael Kyprianou & Co. LLC

The versatile team at Michael Kyprianou & Co. LLC covers all aspects of intellectual property from the registration and the exploitation of rights (by way of assignments and licensing) through to handling issues relating to the enforcement of rights (via litigation). It is also skilled at advising on custom actions and at advising on portfolio management. Tonia Antoniou heads the department which frequently cooperates with some well-known firms on various high-value matters.  At associate level, Agis Charalambous is recommended for his advice on the protection, management and enforcement of intellectual property.

Practice head(s):

Tonia Antoniou


Other key lawyers:

Agis Charalambous


Testimonials

‘Michael Kyprianou & Co LLC is one of the largest and most reputable law firms in the Republic of Cyprus, having its presence internationally as well. Having said so, as a group of companies (having companies all over the world), it was crucial for us to cooperate with a firm that could handle all the corporate matters not limiting to Cyprus only’.

‘The specialised departments locally and internationally are able to handle all cases, providing the whole package of services for professionals like ourselves who need legal support in all the areas’.

Agis Charalambous is very knowledgeable and professional in this field.’

Key clients

Beijing Haoco International IP Agent Co. Ltd


I.P. Olympus Tech Ltd


Fairynails AE


ERA – Luxury Jewels Ltd


Wilson gunn / patent & trade mark attorney


Finovation


China Hong Kong Patent Ltd


CPA Global (Patrafee) AB


Dennemeyer & Co Luxembourg


Mewburn Ellis


Pavis GmbH


Cabinet Beau De Lomenie


UDL Intellectual Property


Patrix IP Service AB


Envoy International Limited


CPA GLOBAL


Vossius & Partner


Pantziarou Bros Dairy Products Ltd


Rasiewicz Oleksynkancelaria Prawna Spolka Jawna


Norton Rose Fulbright


AWA Sweden AB


Notino Ltd


Zanoli & Giavarini S.P.A.


MCTC Marine Ltd


Crowd Tech Ltd


Dentons Europe LLP


Work highlights


  • Advised Notino Limited on the enforcement of their IP rights in the EU as well as internationally.
  • Advised Wilson Gunn patent & trademark attorneys as regards an assignment of trademark rights.
  • Advised and acted on behalf of Norton Rose Fulbright in the tax department’s investigation for violation of trademark rights in Cyprus.

Andreas Coucounis & Co LLC

Alexandros Coucounis  heads the practice at Andreas Coucounis & Co LLC which acts for many foreign companies in the protection of their trademark registrations and the renewal of existing ones. The group is well-equipped to advise a wide range of clients in matters before the Registrar of Patents and Trade Marks in Cyprus.

Practice head(s):

Alexandros Coucounis


 


Testimonials

‘Alexandros Coucounis is attentive and commercial which are the type of qualities my clients look for in their lawyers’.

‘We have been happy with the quality of advice provided by the firm and there have never been any surprises on fees’.

‘Alexandros Coucounis is very responsive and helpful‘.

Key clients

easyGroup Ltd


Duracell


Catherine Sidonio


Newsweek Inc.


Bank of Cyprus Public Company Limited


General Insurance of Cyprus Ltd


Eurolife Ltd


Chloride


Spartan Race Inc.


RHYTHM & BLUE INC. LIMITED


Banq Inc. NoSSP Group PLC


Hellenic Technical Enterprises Limited


Cozcom Ltd


Work highlights


  • Retained over many years by easyGroup Ltd to handle all the matters in relation to their portfolio of trade mark registrations in Cyprus in proceedings before the Registrar of Trade Marks of Cyprus and in all the pending litigation matters in the Cypriot Court.
  • In August 2022 its IP Team has been retained by Duracell to represent them in Cyprus in all their anticounterfeiting matters.
  • In 2020-2021 the IP Team has continued to represent Catherine Sidonio, famous French fashion designer and owner of fashion brand names such as MOLLY BRACKEN and Gabrielle, in opposition proceedings against a Cypriot trademark registration in a dispute with Chanel fashion house and in addition, it has successfully prosecuted for the said client the conversion of EU Trademark into a Cyprus national trademark registration.

Deloitte Legal | Hadjianastassiou, Ioannides LLC

Headed by senior managing associate, Rania Vrondou, the team at Deloitte Legal | Hadjianastassiou, Ioannides LLC handles a broad range of issues for clients ranging from the transfer and assignments of intellectual property rights to preparing due diligence reports on various intellectual property matters. Vrondou has been busy advising clients on brand strategies and on the copyright protection of books, and her team has recently advised on licensing and marketing agreements.

Practice head(s):

Rania Vrondou


Other key lawyers:

Kypros Ioannides


Testimonials

‘With the help of the firm and between the collaboration of different departments, some crucial points have been pointed out and the result was very professional and of high quality’.

‘They have a great network of other firms they are collaborating with in different countries and jurisdictions. So far we have worked with their recommendations in Greece, UK and US. We are very happy with all three collaborations and we trust their recommendations’.

‘The firm always assigns a team of people on each request to make sure that it will be properly and promptly handled. People are knowledgeable and approachable, we call them often for a quick advice because we know that they have great experience in commercial law’.

‘The team is diverse and very professional. The response time is very quick with personal service’.

‘I would definitely recommend Kypros Ioannides and M. Vrondou Rania as experts in this field.  They are very responsive, very knowledgeable in new technologies and their legal implications’.

‘From my experience, the team was very responsive. The team showed clear understanding of the way the technology works which in effect helped in adding items in the agreement which can potentially give us extra protection in the future’.

‘Quick response in correspondence, very calm and good listeners to understand the requests, then coming with comments straight to the point.  We managed to get all items we wanted from the beginning, added into the final executed version of the agreement, even though at the beginning there was a lot of reaction from the other side’.

‘People are always willing to assist you and explain to you for clarifications you may need, with high level of professionalism’.

Key clients

3 Commas Ltd


Abacus Limited


Alma Europe Ltd


Alpha Television Cyprus Limited


Cyprus Rally Association


Deloitte Limited


FaceApp Technology Limited )


MoneyGate Solutions Limited


MPG Bion Organic Herb Company Limited


Penalteez Limited


Playgendary Limited


RJ Development Ltd


RJ Games Limited


MSN Lifepal Ltd


Work highlights


  • Prepared and drafted the template publishing agreement for its client including advising on all intellectual property and commercial matters arising therefrom.
  • Reviewed, negotiated, revised and finalised the agreements pursuant to which its client obtained a copy of the source code of a fin-tech platform together with a licence to further develop the said source code with or independently from the owner of the initial copyright.
  • Negotiating on behalf of its client an out of court settlement (co-existence agreement) concerning an allegation for the infringement by its client of the European Union trademark of the company.

George Z. Georgiou & Associates LLC

George Z. Georgiou & Associates LLC advises individuals, artists, TV celebrities, musicians, companies, banks and international software companies on a broad array of matters. Led by George Georgiou, the team frequently advises on brand protection and on contentious IP issues, and is skilled in relation to IP protection and domain names.  The practice also regularly drafts and negotiates IP related contracts and transactions and is adept at advising on the protection of industrial designs.

Practice head(s):

George Z. Georgiou


Testimonials

‘My go-to law firm in Cyprus. Their knowledge in the video game sector is hugely important to my clients. I am not aware of another firm in Cyprus which can match them in this area’.

‘The attorneys I work with have a strong knowledge in the video game industry. I value their responsiveness and business-focused approach to advice’.

Key clients

State Health Services Organisation (SHSO)


Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC)


Work highlights


  • Awarded a contract for being the legal advisor of the State Health Services Organisation following a public tender procedure.
  • Awarded a contract for being the legal advisor of Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation following a public tender procedure.

AGPLAW | A.G. Paphitis & Co. LLC

The team at AGPLAW | A.G. Paphitis & Co. LLC advises both corporate and individual clients on how to manage, protect, handle and expand their IP portfolios. In addition, the group frequently represents clients during opposition and objection procedures and advises clients on the Cyprus IP Box tax regime. At associate level, Maria Hinni and Margarita Sofokleous  are the key names to note.

Practice head(s):

Maria Hinni; Margarita Sofokleous


Testimonials

‘The team as a whole is very professional and helpful, providing excellent advice and support. Scheduling meetings (calls or in person) is easy. When an individual is unavailable, there is always someone else who can help keep things moving forward’.

We feel like we are in good hands working with AGP

‘Maria Hinni is very professional, responsive, and knowledgeable’.

Key clients

Law & Trust International


NICHCHEAR LIMITED


TIFIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED


WAGE GLOBAL LTD


Aloha Mobile Ltd


JH2 LIMITED


WHEELSYS LTD


Weezzo Limited


Guaba Beach Bar


Metaquotes Software Corp


Work highlights


  • Submitted an opposition to the Trademark “Oryzatein” on a European level on behalf of its client.
  • Engaged to advise a client who is a sport and health scientist on how to protect their Intellectual Property Rights in regard to an expansion into a new sector of the fitness industry.

E & G Economides LLC

Headed by Xenia Kasapi, the ‘very cooperative’ team at E & G Economides LLC receives plaudits for its willingness to ‘assist and to provide solutions’. The department handles a variety of matters, from the registration of trademarks, designs and patents at local, EU and international level, to drafting licensing and rights transfer agreements. George Economides plays a pivotal role in the practice.

Practice head(s):

Xenia Kasapi


Other key lawyers:

George Economides


Testimonials

‘The team is very service oriented -George Economides and Xenia Kasapi, strong and in-depth knowledge of the law, practical implementation. Also, very quick turnaround and response time’.

‘George Economides – hands on partner, available to clients, practical know-how and good experience. Xenia Kasapi – team lead lawyer on IP, very good knowledge of subject’.

‘We find Xenia is able to clearly lay out the key steps that must be taken to achieve IP & TM protections across numerous, diverse countries. We appreciate that she brings comfort to processes that are not naturally comfortable for us. The proactive updates are necessary and educational’.

‘The team is very well organised. Each time we have a request they very fast decide and appoint a certain person or a group of persons from the team with the exact qualification to handle our issue. The team is much more flexible than in some of the biggest companies in the sector’.

‘Highly capable team, with lots of experience and relevant spot-on knowledge’.

‘Deep knowledge, high level of expertise and personal attention and attitude to each client’.

‘I have worked with Ms Xenia Kasapi, who is head of the Intellectual Property & Data Protection Department of the firm and she has shown her expertise on a number of cases we have handled together such as registration of trademarks and dealing with multiple legal issues in various jurisdictions’.

‘Excellent law firm with high quality personnel’.

Key clients

Shine TV Limited


Orbex Limited


Collagen Lift SA


Cloudlayer8 Limited (Cl8)


Anemi Trustees Limited


Alma Advisors Limited


YANDEX LLC


Unisoft Sys Limited


Findersoft Limited


Brandpol Group Limited


G.N. Auto Odyky Express Road Service Limited


Tsakiris Mallas A.E


Zeme Eco Fuels And Alloys Ltd


A.T. Atermona Taxidia Limited


Work highlights


  • Instructed by the client, a well-known multinational corporation primarily for Russian and Russian-language users to advise on whether the provisions of an intellectual property agreement cover the risks of infringement of third parties and to provide a legal opinion regarding possible amendments in accordance with the Cyprus law.
  • Provided a legal opinion to its client on assessing the risk of a software operation in relation to copyright law in Cyprus.
  • Advising its client on the Cyprus legislative framework governing intellectual property.

Harris Kyriakides

The team at Harris Kyriakides specialises in working with start-up businesses, especially in the fintech sector, and is ably led by newly-promoted partner Eleni Neoptolemou and by Michael Kyriakides . The group advises on all aspects of intellectual property rights and recently has increasingly expanded into technology contracts and specialised license agreements, as well as supporting on the taxation aspects of IP structures.

Practice head(s):

Eleni Neoptolemou; Michael Kyriakides


Testimonials

‘Efficient team, quick reaction rates, to the point, and well-structured opinions. Client care’.

‘All team members were extremely knowledgeable, professional, efficient and punctual. Synergy they have as a team is really impressive’.

‘The firm stands out in two key areas, being their professionalism and the quality of work produced. The firm is made up of a diverse workforce with exceptional legal knowledge and a noteworthy work ethic’.

‘As a client, the firm makes you feel valued and confident in the outcome of any engagement or assignment that they handle on your behalf. Active and frequent communication is a key driver in our relationship with the firm which in turn, helps avoid unnecessary delays and gives rise to productive, innovative and timely results’.

‘The team is comprised of exceptional individuals who possess extensive knowledge on the local and international legal framework of their subject matter but who also take the time to listen and understand both the client’s needs as well as their operating environment’.

‘Every member of the team, from associates to senior partners can be reached easily. They are very timely in terms of their deliverables and they always keep the client updated with the status of the engagement’.

Key clients

US Polo


C & C Londou Bros Ltd


HAFCO S.A


Prevention at Sea Ltd


Ministry of Food (Offshore) Sal


Petrolina Group


Haviaras & Philippou L.L.C.

Headed by Michael K. Philippou  and Loucas A. Haviaras , the ‘experienced’ team at Haviaras & Philippou L.L.C. deals with all aspects of IP law, acting for a client base of public/private companies and entrepreneurs. It also handles complex disputes, IP transfer agreements, the registration and renewal of national, European and international trademarks, patents and industrial designs, as well as licensing and franchising agreements.

Practice head(s):

Michael Philippou; Loucas A Haviaras


Other key lawyers:

Natalie Pelava


Testimonials

‘Recognised for the depth of their legal knowledge, expertise and experience’.

‘ A fast lane service within this department. Ms Nataly Pelava assisted us with the registration of trademarks and has done so superbly, since she was organised. She was always happy to explain and answer any questions. Smooth and reliable service as always’.

Key clients

Alkis H. Hadjikyriakos (Frou Frou Biscuits)


AdBoard Media Limited


Glimeka Trading Company Limited


Handy Snacks Limited


Atrio Marketing Limited


Netsmart (and affiliates or 3rd party individuals)


Work highlights


  • Instructed to register a tradename. Due to the existence of numerous business names with a similar word, the firm performed an overall assessment of registered names and applied for a few other names before receiving approval from the Department of Intellectual Property of the Registrar of Companies of the name.
  • Provided legal services to Adboard Media for the registration of European trademark. This was significant because during the procedure for the registration of the trademark a company of German interest opposed. After negotiation the team managed to successfully register the mark.
  • Advised Alkis H. Hadjikyriakos (Frou Frou) Biscuits on the registration and/or renewal of many trademarks owned by the company.