Intellectual Property Law

Our experienced professionals provide our clients with sophisticated service, which includes IP support and counselling as well as litigation. Testimony to our expertise is the fact that some of the world’s most respected companies, representing a wide-variety of industries, have entrusted us with their IP portfolio for decades and continue to this day to rely on the skills of our lawyers on a regular basis. Chanel Ltd, Burberry and Philip Morris are just some examples; they entrust us with their IP cases, as well as with the management of their anti-counterfeiting programmes.

Trade Marks & Branding

Our team deals with brand management strategies, enforcement, prosecution and registrations in the Cyprus Trade Marks Registry, EUIPO and WIPO. Our practice involves the regular handling of objections raised by the Cyprus Trade Marks Registry against international trade mark rights, extending to and designating Cyprus, but also of objections raised against national trade mark filings. Additionally, we handle a significant amount of trade mark opposition work, including invalidity and cancellation actions for trade marks.

We advise on all commercial aspects involving brands, including licensing, franchising, and distribution agreements, as well as co-existence agreements. In addition, we provide all types of pre-registration and post-registration services, including trade mark searches and clearance reports, renewals and trade mark watch services.

Anti-counterfeit / Parallel Imports

Our clients entrust us with the protection and enforcement of their IP rights in Cyprus and appoint us as their Cyprus representatives for EU Community and national Customs’ anti-counterfeiting procedures. Our team regularly handles the seizure of counterfeit goods and illegal parallel imports. In the latter case, we work closely with the Cyprus Customs Authorities.

Patents

We deal with the registration of Cyprus national patents, the validation of European Patents in Cyprus (including PCT (EP) patents), and the filing of SPCs, patent litigation (including for the pharmaceutical and technology industries), renewals and payments of annuities of patents.

Designs

We provide a registration and renewal service for industrial designs, and regularly advise in respect of the protection of designs, as well as on all forms of commercial exploitation, licensing, distribution, and other commercial activities.

Copyright

Our team advises and litigates in a wide range of copyright actions and is highly experienced in complex cases in this area of IP. We have in the past represented successfully before the Cyprus Courts famous artists (painters, sculptors, actors) for violation of their moral rights and have also represented furniture designers for infringement of copyright in their furniture designs. We have also been involved in complex legal actions involving infringement of copyright in highly sophisticated software.

IP Litigation

Our IP practice works closely with our firm’s highly skilled and experienced litigation department. Our litigation practice frequently advises and represents our clients before the Cyprus Courts in matters relating to the enforcement of their IP rights in Cyprus, including all necessary steps for obtaining interlocutory relief and other judicial remedies.