Trademark fees doubled

Pursuant to Ministerial Decision K-4/12383, all official fees for trademarks in Greece have now doubled.

The following list is a guide to the most common fees:

• The filing of one trademark in one class is now €120.
  
  
• Each additional class is €30.
  
  
• Renewal in one class is €120.
  
  
• Renewal for each additional class is €30.
  
  
• Change of company name or type of corporation or address is €60.
  
  
• Restriction of goods or services is €30.
  
  
• Trademark assignment is €120.
  
  
• Official fees for filing actions before the Trademark Committee equal €120 in total (€90 plus €30).

The reasoning behind the decision took into account the fact that official fees for trademarks have remained unchanged for a decade - the last change was brought into effect in 1994 following the implementation of the Trademark Law 2239/1994.

Another reason for the rise is that Greece's ratification of the Madrid Protocol has increased the costs for the Ministry of Development (which has jurisdiction over the Greek Trademark Office). These extra costs include:

• increased translation expenditure;
  
  
• added administrative services;
  
  
• more Trademark Committee sessions;
  
  
• additional printed materials; and
  
  
• the need for notifications overseas.

The decision also stated that the official fees of other countries operating under the Madrid Protocol were, in the main, much higher than those in effect in Greece.

It is worth noting that the change does not affect patents as, in Greece, patents and trademarks are administered through separate bodies (the Greek Patent Office and the Greek Trademark Office respectively), both under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Development.

Eleni Lappa, Dr Helen Papaconstantinou & Associates, Athens