I. Trademark Law
Greek trademark law has, since 2020, been governed by the stand-alone Trademark Law 4679/2020 implementing the EU Trademark Directive (EU) 2015/2436, which replaced the corresponding provisions of the previously applicable Law 4072/2012.
a) Types of Trademark
- Word marks: consist of one or more words or parts of a sentence with distinctive character.
- Figurative marks: symbols, letters, numbers, or abstract graphics with distinctive character.
- Word-and-figurative marks: a combination of word and figurative elements.
- Three-dimensional marks: for example, the shape of a product or its packaging.
Since the 2020 reform, signs that cannot be represented graphically (e.g. sound marks) can in principle also be registered, provided they can be represented with sufficient clarity in the register.
b) Registrability
Not registrable, in particular, are signs lacking distinctive character, purely descriptive indications (kind, quality, quantity, purpose, value, geographical origin, or time of production), designations customary in general language use, shapes resulting exclusively from the nature of the goods or dictated by technical function, and misleading signs. Also excluded is the registration of a trademark that is confusable with an earlier-priority national, EU, or IR trademark effective in Greece.
c) Registration Procedure
The application is filed with the trademark register of the Ministry of Development, today electronically; as generally required under the new law, the list of goods and services must be described precisely and individually. It is advisable to have a Greek lawyer carry out a preliminary similarity search in the trademark register. In the event of infringement, Law 4679/2020 allows a counterclaim for cancellation or invalidation to be brought directly within the infringement proceedings; jurisdiction lies with the single-judge court of first instance.
II. Patents
The basis of Greek patent law continues to be Law 1733/1987 (most recently amended, among other things, by Law 4982/2022), which provides for the grant of a patent (a “Diploma of Invention” – Ευρεσιτεχνία) for new inventions that involve an inventive step and are capable of industrial application. The competent authority is the Industrial Property Organisation (ΟΒΙ).
An invention is a creative solution to a technical problem through the application of natural laws, going beyond the relevant state of the art. Not patentable, among other things, are discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods, aesthetic creations, plans and methods for mental activities, games and business activities, and computer programs as such, as well as surgical and therapeutic treatment methods and diagnostic methods practised on the human or animal body.
III. Utility Models
Utility models protect new technical solutions embodied in a physical object (e.g. tools, instruments, containers, accessories), without requiring the creative achievement demanded by patent law; the requirement is industrial applicability. The application is filed with the ΟΒΙ, and most patent-law provisions apply correspondingly.
Industrial Designs and Models
National design protection continues to be governed by Ministerial Decrees P.D. 259/1997 and 161/2002. At EU level, the registered Community design was created by Regulation (EC) No 6/2002; in the course of the EU design law reform (Regulation (EU) 2024/2822 of 23 October 2024, which – similarly to the earlier reform of trademark law – takes effect gradually from May 2025), the terminology here too is being aligned with trademark law: the “Community design” becomes the “EU design”, continuing to be administered by the EUIPO.
An industrial design or model is the two- or three-dimensional external appearance of a product or part of a product, resulting from its lines, contours, colours, shape, surface texture, or materials (e.g. the shapes of furniture, shoes, or decorative items); the requirements for protection are novelty and individual character. International deposit of designs and models is made on the basis of the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement, with the International Bureau of WIPO in Geneva, of which the European Union is also a member, or alternatively with the ΟΒΙ, which forwards the corresponding applications to the International Bureau.
FAQ
Under Law 4679/2020, the following types of trademark are, in particular, registrable:
- word marks (one or more words / parts of a sentence with distinctive character);
- figurative marks (symbols, letters, numbers, words in an atypical form, abstract graphics);
- composite marks (word and figurative elements);
- three-dimensional marks (e.g. the shape of the product or its packaging);
- in addition – expressly permitted since the 2020 reform – position, pattern, colour, sound, motion, and multimedia marks, provided they can be represented clearly and unambiguously in the trademark register.
In particular:
- signs lacking distinctive character;
- descriptive signs (kind, quality, characteristic, quantity, intended purpose, value, geographical origin, time of production);
- ordinary signs from everyday language or trade usage;
- shapes resulting purely from technical function or the nature of the product;
- misleading signs;
- signs identical or confusable with earlier-priority trademarks legally effective in Greece.
The application is filed with the competent trademark office of the Greek Ministry of Economy, including supporting identification documents and a representation of the trademark; filing today takes place predominantly electronically. A prior search of the trademark register by a Greek lawyer, to avoid the risk of confusion, continues to be advisable.
An invention is a creative achievement solving a problem in a technical field through the application of natural laws, in a manner not previously known, which, from the perspective of a person of ordinary skill in the art, goes beyond the ordinary degree of progress. Patent protection is granted to new, inventive, and industrially applicable inventions. The legal basis continues to be the Greek Patent Law (Law 1733/1987, in its applicable, repeatedly amended version).
Not patentable, in particular, are:
- discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods;
- aesthetic creations;
- plans, rules and methods for mental activity, games, and financial methods, and, in principle, computer programs “as such”;
- the mere presentation of information;
- surgical and therapeutic methods practised on humans or animals;
- diagnostic methods practised on humans or animals.
Utility models are new technical inventions embodied in a physical object. They mainly concern technical fields and offer solutions to technical problems. Protection also exists at a lower level of novelty or inventiveness than for a patent, provided industrial applicability exists. Examples: tools, instruments, containers, accessories.
National protection of industrial designs and models continues to be based essentially on Ministerial Decrees P.D. 259/1997 and P.D. 161/2002, which implement EU Design Directive 98/71/EC. Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 on the Community design also applies directly, providing a means of obtaining uniform, EU-wide design protection. What is protected is the externally visible appearance of the product or a part of it (line, contour, shape, material, ornamentation), provided it is new and has individual character. Examples: furniture, shoes, decorative items.
For international protection, the application can be filed under the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs with the International Bureau of WIPO in Geneva, optionally via the Greek Industrial Property Organisation (Οργανισμός Βιομηχανικής Ιδιοκτησίας, ΟΒΙ) as an intermediary office.
As of June 2026. All information on these pages is provided without guarantee or liability.