The statutory basis of national Greek trademark law has, since 2020, been the stand-alone Trademark Law 4679/2020 (Government Gazette A' 71/20.3.2020), which implemented the EU Trademark Directive (EU) 2015/2436 and replaced the corresponding provisions (Art. 121–182) of the previously applicable Law 4072/2012.
As before, the exclusive right to use a national trademark is acquired only through registration.
Registrable as a trademark are words, names, images, letters, numbers, sounds, and the shape of a product or its packaging, provided they are distinctive. Not registrable, in particular, are signs that serve exclusively, in trade, to describe the kind, quality, quantity, origin, value or time of production of the goods or services.
Application Procedure
A national trademark is applied for at the trademark register of the Ministry of Development, today generally electronically. An important innovation introduced by Law 4679/2020 concerns the list of goods and services: unlike previously, stating general class headings is no longer sufficient – the goods and services must be described precisely and individually, in order to avoid refusals for the abusive claiming of entire classes.
The administrative committee decides on the grant or refusal of the application. A successfully registered trademark enjoys ten years of protection from the filing date and can be renewed by the holder for further periods of ten years, any number of times. A third party asserting its own older rights or a legitimate interest in legal protection can challenge a registration by way of opposition.
Enforcement
In the event of unlawful use, counterfeiting or imitation of a registered trademark, the rights holder can bring an action for an injunction before the competent court; under Law 4679/2020, jurisdiction lies, irrespective of the amount in dispute, with the single-judge court of first instance (Μονομελές Πρωτοδικείο), while proceedings in which claims for unfair competition are asserted at the same time fall within the jurisdiction of the chamber of the court of first instance. A practically significant innovation: the defendant in trademark infringement proceedings can since then apply, by way of counterclaim in the same court proceedings, for the cancellation or invalidation of the claimant’s trademark – previously, a separate administrative procedure before the Administrative Committee for Trademarks was required for this. Where there is urgency, interim relief can also be sought.
Note: Numerous transitional provisions of Law 4679/2020 (including those on opposition, cancellation and invalidity proceedings) apply retroactively from as early as 14 January 2019; for pending or older proceedings, we recommend checking the precise temporal applicability.
FAQ
The statutory basis today is Law 4679/2020, which replaced the corresponding provisions of Law 4072/2012 (which had itself replaced the older Law 2239/1994). As before, the exclusive right to use a national trademark is granted only following the corresponding application.
A trademark can consist of words, names, images, drawings, letters, numbers, sounds, and the particular shape of a product or its packaging. Law 4679/2020 has expanded the range of registrable signs in line with the EU Directive and, in particular, relaxed the requirement of graphic representability.
Law 4679/2020 governs (in the provisions replacing the former law) when a trademark is not permitted. In practice, trademarks are above all refused where they refer, in trade, exclusively to the kind, quality, characteristics, quantity, place of origin, value or time of production of the product.
The application is filed electronically with the trademark register of the competent ministry. It includes, among other things, the appointment of a representative for service of process. A competent examiner or committee decides on the grant or refusal.
The trademark is protected for ten years, beginning on the date the application is filed. The holder can renew the protection on request for further periods of ten years, any number of times.
Third parties can file an opposition against a decision to grant registration, or apply for refusal of the application before it is granted, provided they have a legitimate interest in legal protection or have themselves already acquired rights in a trademark.
Use must observe good practice. In particular, a trademark may not be used to restrict existing rights of third parties (e.g. to use their own name, business designation, address, or indications of quality and origin), to the extent that these are necessary to indicate the origin of the product. Terms in general everyday use are generally not subject to individual trademark protection.
In the event of unlawful use, counterfeiting or imitation, the holder can bring an action for an injunction before the competent court of first instance. Where there is urgency, provisional relief through interim measures is also available.
As of June 2026. All information on these pages is provided without guarantee or liability.