Protection for your competition and your brand in Greece
Competition law refers to the statutory rules intended to protect competition from restrictions and undesirable business practices.
In Greece, as in Germany, a distinction is drawn between the law against unfair competition and antitrust (cartel) law.
The law against unfair competition prohibits anti-competitive business practices that violate good morals; the legal basis remains Law 146/1914 with its general prohibition clause. Businesses may compete with one another in order to grow their customer base and increase their profits – but this finds its limit where consumers are deceived or unduly restricted in their freedom of choice.
Antitrust law, by contrast, protects competition from restrictions that businesses impose on themselves. It is regulated in Law 3959/2011 (which replaced the earlier Law 703/1977) and has since been amended several times – most recently, among others, by Laws 4886/2022 (reorganization of the bodies of the Competition Commission and introduction of digital investigative tools), 5111/2024, and 5255/2025.
In the field of industrial property protection, Greek law has a Copyright Act (Law 2121/1993, most recently amended by Law 5221/2025), a standalone Trademark Act (Law 4679/2020, which replaced the corresponding provisions of Law 4072/2012), and a Patent Act (Law 1733/1987). Greece has also implemented numerous international treaties and EU directives for the protection of intellectual property; directly applicable EU law, such as the EU Trademark Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 (formerly the Community Trademark Regulation (EC) No. 207/2009), is applied directly by Greek courts.
FAQ
Answer: Competition law refers to the statutory rules intended to protect competition from restrictions and undesirable business practices. In Greece, as in Germany, a distinction is drawn between the law against unfair competition and antitrust (cartel) law.
Answer: The law against unfair competition remains regulated in Law 146/1914 (as amended from time to time and repeatedly revised). It contains a general clause prohibiting anti-competitive business practices that violate good morals, and protects competition as an institution as well as competitors and consumers (in particular against deception). Since 2019, Law 4605/2019 has applied in addition, regulating the civil-law protection of trade and business secrets in accordance with EU Directive (EU) 2016/943 (see our FAQ on trade secret violations).
Answer: Antitrust law protects competition from restrictions that businesses impose on themselves. It applies when businesses restrict competition through agreements or unilateral practices. Greek antitrust law is regulated in Law 3959/2011, which replaced the earlier Law 703/1977 and was itself fundamentally reformed most recently by Law 4886/2022 (further details in our FAQ on competition and antitrust law).
Answer: Important update: the key laws today are:
• the Copyright Act (Law 2121/1993, amended several times);
• the Trademark Act (Law 4679/2020, which replaced the earlier trademark provisions of Articles 121-182 of Law 4072/2012, effective 20 March 2020);
• the Patent Act (Law 1733/1987, amended several times);
• Law 4605/2019 on the protection of trade secrets.
Answer: Important update: the key laws today are:
• the Copyright Act (Law 2121/1993, amended several times);
• the Trademark Act (Law 4679/2020, which replaced the earlier trademark provisions of Articles 121-182 of Law 4072/2012, effective 20 March 2020);
• the Patent Act (Law 1733/1987, amended several times);
• Law 4605/2019 on the protection of trade secrets.
As of June 2026. All information on these pages is provided without guarantee or liability.