The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Greece > Intellectual property

IP specialist A. & K. Metaxopoulos & Partners Law Firm is home to a ‘great team of partners and associates, all of whom are available and a pleasure to work with’. The department operates at a market-leading level across the full array of IP matters, including copyrights, patents, trade marks, designs and models, and counts collective management rights as a particular area of specialism. It is well equipped to handle disputes in addition to serving in an advisory capacity, and advises both domestic and multinational clients alike. Irini Daroussou delivers industry-specific expertise in the publishing, music, software and audio-visual works sectors and has recently been active on a number of anti-piracy cases. She heads the department with Kriton Metaxopoulos, who has a number of precedent-setting IP disputes under his belt. Additional sector strengths include food, sports, cloth and apparel, entertainment, pharmaceutical and broadcasting.

Boutique firm Arhondoula Papapanagiotou & Partners Law Firm is praised by clients for its ‘strong technical knowledge’ in the field of IP. Acting on a broad range of affairs, the team provides profound expertise in portfolio management, anti-counterfeiting and enforcement, high-stakes disputes, contracts and negotiations, among other matters. Managing partner Arhondoula Papanagiotou, highlighted for her ‘business-orientated way of thinking’, is a leading name for copyright, patent, industrial design, trade mark, software and new technology matters, and is closely supported by the 'methodical' Aggeliki Christodoulaki and counsel Evi Georgaka. The team is active in a range of industries and represents prominent radio and TV broadcasters, theatrical and audio-visual producers, sound recording companies, publishers and artists, both Greek and international.

The ‘very attentive’ team at Drakopoulos is a popular choice for portfolio management, trade mark registration and protection, patent licensing, domain name and data protection matters, as well as the fully array of relevant disputes. Michalis Kosmopoulos, author of several prominent texts, is a market-leading name on all IP fronts, with a documented history of working with industry leaders on anti-counterfeiting strategies. He leads the department alongside senior partner and founder Panagiotis Drakopoulos. The practice works closely with the firm’s Tirana, Bucharest and Larnaca offices, providing multinational clients with a fully integrated, international service. Clients include technology and software companies, brokerage houses, investment funds and listed companies, among others.

Dr. Helen G. Papaconstantinou and Partners is an ‘excellent, knowledgeable and super responsive’ IP boutique. Excelling on all IP fronts, the team’s work includes national, international and EU trade marks filing, patent applications and validations, anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy measures, exploitation of rights and the full array of relevant litigation. Eva Yazitzoglou, also qualified as a European parent attorney, is well versed in trade mark and patent infringement cases, while Miranda Theodoridou’s various strengths include domain name and copyright matters, in addition to contentious matters in the higher courts. They jointly head the department alongside Maria Athanassiadou, who focuses on patents, utility models and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs), along with industrial designs and trade marks. In addition, Fotini Kardiopoulis is the key contact for counterfeiting and anti-piracy matters. The team's sector expertise includes chemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, energy, food and drink, fashion, toys and automobiles.

Hailed for its ‘deep understanding of the law and commercial, accessible services’, Prentoulis Gerakini is a one-stop shop boutique, specialising in IP, regulatory and competition law. Nikos Prentoulis, praised by one client as ‘simply the best IP lawyer in Greece’, leads the department; he leverages his ‘impressive knowledge’ in the full array of contentious trade mark, patent and design matters and is noted for his proficiency ‘in an international environment’. In a standout highlight, the group is currently representing BMW in a series of cases relating to the misappropriation of its BMW and Mini trade marks by third parties, including independent and previously authorised repairers. Nancy Gerakini, a specialist in the tobacco, life sciences and automobile sectors, is also integral to the team.

At KLC Law Firm, department head Theodore Loukopoulos is particularly knowledgeable in the pharmaceutical sector, in which he routinely handles IP disputes, generic product launches and patent right invalidations. His team also supports on the entire array of IP-related affairs, such as copyrights, domain names, trade marks and industrial designs. The team is equipped to handle matters on a domestic, EU and international scale and also demonstrates specialist knowledge in the energy, healthcare, consumer goods, technology, media and fashion industries.

Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law Firm is home to prowess in all IP sub-categories, including trade marks, designs, patents, domain names, copyright and database rights. The department is fronted by Irene Kyriakides, who is routinely engaged for opposition, cancellation and recourse matters and regularly acts for multinationals on cross-border mandates. Her team is particularly knowledgeable in the health and life sciences, entertainment, food and IT sectors; examples of its recent work include trade mark prosecution and enforcement, patent registrations, portfolio maintenance, and assisting clients with the maximisation of the commercial value of their IP matters.

The ‘formidable’ IP department at Nikolinakos & Partners Law Firm leverages its ‘deep legal knowledge, professionalism and quality of service’ to draw in names such as Spotify, Facebook, Netflix and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Nikos Nikolinakos, praised as ‘an excellent strategist’, leads the practice, specialising in trade secret, trade mark, copyright and content-related matters. Beyond the team’s first-rate knowledge of the technology and digital business sectors, a key differentiator of the practice is its proficiency in matters which combine IP, data protection and unfair competition elements.

‘A boutique firm with tremendous experience of IP and the Greek legal system’, Law Offices Patrinos & Kilimiris is co-headed by Constantinos Kilimiris; his workload covers an array of industries from consumer goods to chemicals, though he is particularly well known for his disputes work in the pharmaceutical space. Fellow department co-head Maria Kilimiris tailors her practice towards trade mark and design matters, namely clearance, filing and prosecution affairs. There is a strong international element to the caseload, with the team specialising in multi-jurisdictional disputes and often collaborating with international firms on the Greek law elements of such proceedings. The team is also extensively experienced in appearing before the EUIPO and the European General Court.

The IP practice at PotamitisVekris Law Firm delivers a ‘very high level of expertise at international standards’. It supports domestic and international clients alike in the full array of relevant matters, including unfair competition, franchising, selective distribution, cybersquatting and misleading advertising matters, in addition to transactional and dispute mandates. Practice head Xenophon Paparrigopoulos, who 'approaches the issues from an academic as well as a commercial perspective’, is able to call upon extensive experience representing clients before the highest Greek and EU courts. He works closely with associate Eirini Zaglanika, whose specialist areas include software piracy, trade mark disputes and digital marketing campaigns.

The 'excellent IP department' at Tsibanoulis & Partners demonstrates proficiency in trade mark, trade name, domain name, patent, design and copyright mandates. In addition to domestic instructions, the team also has the capacity to handle matters extending to Europe and beyond. Department head Marina Perraki, described as ‘the top IP attorney in Greece’ by one client, is primarily focused on contentious and advisory trade mark affairs, having previously been engaged by the government to consult on new laws. Her team is particularly active in the food and beverage, apparel, cosmetics, financial, renewable energy, and oil and gas industries.

Leveraging ‘deep knowledge of IP issues’ and a ‘proactive’ service, Bernitsas Law is proficient in the creation, registration, protection and utilisation of patents, trade marks, designs and copyrights. The team is also frequently engaged for IP-related sales, purchases and transfers, also handling licensing, franchising and sponsorship agreements in addition to portfolio due diligence. Lambros Belessis and Yannis Chryssospathis jointly lead the department, which has recently seen an uptick in instructions from the cosmetics, shipping and pharmaceutical sectors.

Lawyers of Dryllerakis & Associates are noted for their ‘depth of legal knowledge' and 'business-orientated solutions’. Headed by Aliki Damilakis, the practice routinely handles the registration, enforcement, renewal and cancellation of patents, industrial designs and trade marks, both nationally and internationally. Copyright law, specifically in relation to computer software, music, art, audio recordings and data, is a further forte of the practice, which also counts technology licensing agreements, patent searches and IP-related due diligence among its core areas of expertise.

Specialist IP firm Kiortsis & Associates Law Offices can be relied upon for the full array of trade mark, patent, industrial design, copyright and internet domain name matters. The team, which is led by Christina Kiortsis, is particularly active when it comes to the representation of multinationals, often collaborating with international firms to protect clients' interests in Greece. Standout names from the client roster include Facebook Technologies, Puma and Oxford University Innovation, among many others.

Lambadarios Law Firm hosts an IP department which is primarily active in the technology, media and entertainment sectors, though it also sees notable levels of activity in the FMCG, healthcare and utilities industries. Chara Daouti and Constantinos Lambadarios jointly front the practice, which handles a broad array of IP matters; examples include music rights clearance issues, market clearances, IT licensing contracts and product launches.

PPT Legal is active on all IP fronts, including patents, trade marks, copyrights and trade secrets in addition to licensing, franchising and distribution agreements. It advises on both domestic and EU affairs, supporting its client in disputes, branding, marketing, protection and registration matters. Alexandros Kalantzis and 'very knowledgeable' senior associate Eleni Kokkini jointly head the department, which is active across a range of sectors including retail, food and beverages, agriculture, entertainment and pharmaceuticals.

Clients note Sioufas & Associates Law Firm’s ‘capacity to handle all IP assignments’. Department co-head Marios Sioufas delivers extensive experience when it comes to the registration and protection of trade marks, patents and designs, both in Greece and abroad. He leads the practice alongside Christina Kougia, who is particularly active on the contentious front, with expert knowledge of the defence, pharmaceuticals and telecoms sectors. Over the past year, the practice has implemented IT and AI tools which monitor infringements on client trade marks.