Greece

While trademark activity in Greece has continued to flow, particularly in the growing anti-counterfeiting field, practitioners have undoubtedly been affected by the nation’s parlous financial misfortunes. Firms say that clients have been notably cautious and anxious to find the most cost-effective way to protect their brands. Contentious work has been particularly affected, not least due to the “overloaded Greek court system, which can often take several years to process an action”. As in other EU countries, Community trademarks continue to be an important aspect of the market; amendments to Greek trademark law have been drafted in order to make interaction between the national and EU systems more coherent and effective.