Patent registration in Greece. Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Greece is a unitary parliamentary republic, and a developed country, with an advanced high-income economy, and a high quality of life, ranking 32nd on the Human Development Index. Its economy is the largest in the Balkans, where it is an important regional investor. Greece’s unique cultural heritage, large tourism industry, prominent shipping sector, and geostrategic importance classify it as a middle power. Accordingly, many businesses want to enter this market and one of the most important preparations a business needs to take before expanding to this country is to learn the procedure of patent registration in Greece.
Patent in Greece
A patent in Greece is a legal document that gives the patentee exclusive rights over the invention for a set period of time within a limited area.
An invention in Greece qualifies for a patent if it is new, involves an inventive step, and is industrially applicable.
According to the law of Greece, the following subjects will not be granted a patent in this country:
- discoveries, scientific theories, and mathematical methods;
- methods for conducting business or playing purely mental games;
- inventions contrary to public policy and morality.
Necessary documents for patent registration in Greece
The necessary documents for patent registration in Greece include:
- The request to grant a patent (patent application);
- Detailed information on the applicant(s) including the applicant’s and inventor’s names, addresses, citizenships, etc.;
- A description of the invention;
- A signed and stamped power of attorney by the applicant(s);
- A copy of the amendments (if any);
- Priority documents (if any).
- Other required documents.
The official language of the Greek patent application is Greek.
The applicant may file the patent application in English, French or German, provided that they submit a translation of those documents within 4 months from the date of filing.
The procedure for patent registration in Greece
To obtain a patent in Greece, the applicant will need to file their patent application to the IP Office of Greece.
The patent application will undergo a formality examination to check if it complies with the requirements of the law and it is patentable.
If there are no errors, the patent application will be published publicly in the Official Gazette.
With regards to the substantive examination, there is currently no stipulation on such examination in Greece law.
The aspect that the applicant should concern about is the payment of fees and the response to the IP Office. Because if the applicant fails to pay the prescribed fees within the time limit, the patent application is deemed to be withdrawn.
It should also be noted that even if all requirements are satisfied, the application remains pending until payment of the grant fee.
Granting and maintenance
If there are no issues, the patent will be granted to the applicant.
Annuities must be paid each year up to the last day of the month corresponding to the date on which the application was filed.
For pending applications, the applicant still needs to pay the maintenance fees. The annuity fees for the 1st and 2nd years of the patent validity are included in the filing fee. Payment in an accumulated manner is possible.
You can see a list of Greece IP Firms here.