RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/Q/GRC/1
21November 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4938)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
REVIEW OFLEGISLATION ONCOPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS
Greece1
Thepresent document reproduces thequestions puttothedelegation ofGreece andtheresponses
given inthereview oflegislation oncopyright andrelated rights attheCouncil 'smeeting of
22to25July19962.
_______________
REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYTHE UNITED STATES
1. Please explain whether andhowGreek lawprovides protection forworks, phonograms and
performances fromother WTO Members, andwhether andhowitdoessoonthebasis ofnational
treatment, asrequired byTRIPS Article 3(generally, withrespect toallcopyrights andneighbouring
rights) andArticle 9.1(incorporating Berne Article 5(1).Inparticular, please explain hownational
treatmentisaffordedwithrespecttothedistributionofleviesforprivatecopyingunderrelevantprovisions
ofGreek law,including inparticular Articles 18.3and49ofGreek copyright law.
Greek Law2121/1993 onCopyright andRelated Rights (Official Journal A'25/1993) came
intoforceon4March 1993. Greece ratified theTRIPS Agreement byLaw2290/1995 (Official Journal
A'28/1995). Moreover, Greece ratified Berne Convention (1971) byLaw100/1975 (Official Journal
A'162/1975) andRome Convention byLaw2054/1992 (Official Journal A'104/1992).
Greek Law2121/1993 iscompatible withallprovisions oftheTRIPS Agreement anddoes
notcontain anyprovision authorizing anydiscrimination against nationals ofother WTO Members.
Itisworth noticing thatGreek Law2121/1993 doesnotcontain anyprovision permitting anunequal
treatment between nationals andforeigners.
Works, phonograms andperformances from other WTO Members areprotected inGreece
onthebasis ofnational treatment, asrequired byTRIPS Article 3andArticle 9.1. According to
Article 28,paragraph 1ofGreek Constitution, international conventions ratified bylawareanintegral
partofdomestic Greek Lawandprevail overanycontrary provision oflaw.Consequently theTRIPS
Agreement isanintegral partofdomestic law,according toArticle 1ofLaw2290/1995 andArticle 28,
paragraph 1oftheGreek Constitution. Moreover, paragraphs 1.2and3ofArticle 67ofGreek
1Greece 'snotification oflawsandregulations intheareaofcopyright andrelated rights under Article 63.2
oftheAgreement hasbeen circulated indocument IP/N/1/GRC/C/1.
2Theminutes ofthemeeting have been circulated indocument IP/C/M/8.IP/Q/GRC/1
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Law2121/1993 concerning theapplicable legislation cannot beapplied where theyruncontrary to
anyinternational convention ratified byGreece.
Asitconcerns equitable remuneration forprivate copying payable under Article 18.3ofGreek
Law2121/1993 toauthors, performers andproducers ofsound andvisual oraudiovisual recordings,
national treatment isafforded, because equitable remuneration inthatcaseisconsidered asanintellectual
property rightandparticularly asalimitation tothereproduction right. Equitable remuneration under
Article 18.3ofGreek Law2121/1993 doesnothavethecharacter ofalevyoratax.
Equitable remuneration payable under Article 49ofGreek Law2121/1993 toperformers and
producers ofsound orvisual oraudiovisual recordings isarelated rightanditdoesnotconcern private
copying.
2. DoesGreece apply the"rule oftheshorter term" tophonograms andperformances fromother
WTO Members? Ifso,please explain howyoujustify suchaction under TRIPS Article 4.
Asitconcerns phonograms andperformances, thetermofprotection available byArticle 52
ofGreek Law2121/1993 isaperiod offiftyyears, computed from theendoftheyearinwhich the
performance tookplace ortherecording wasmade.
3. PleaseexplainwhetherandhowGreeceprotectsagainstboththedirectandindirectreproduction
ofphonograms asrequired byTRIPS Article 14.2, including bydigital transmission inthecontext of
interactive services.
Thespecific provision ofArticle 47.1ofGreek Law2121/1993 protects against boththedirect
andindirect reproduction ofphonograms, asrequired byTRIPS Article 14.2. There isnodoubt that
digitization ofworks iscovered bycopyright. According toArticle 3.1a) ofGreek Law2121/1993
theauthor hastherighttopermit orprohibit thefixation andthereproduction oftheworkbyanymeans,
suchasmechanical, photochemical orelectronic. Consequently, digitization ofworks canbecovered
bythereproduction right. Thereproduction rightalsoapplies totherelated rights, which means to
producers ofphonograms.
[Follow-up question]
Doesthereproduction rightforphonograms under Greek lawinclude reproductions made from
broadcasts aswellasthedigital transmission ofbothtemporary andpermanent reproductions?
Reproduction rightforphonograms under Greek lawisinterpreted asincluding reproductions
made from broadcasts. Asregards digital transmission, there isnocaselawonthisissue yet.
4. PleaseexplainwhetherandhowGreeceprovidesfullretroactiveprotectiontoworks,phonograms
andperformances fromother WTO Members, asrequired byBerne Article 18,asincorporated through
Article 9.1ofTRIPS, andTRIPS Article 14.6, andgivethedatebacktowhich protection extends as
toeachofthese categories ofsubject matter.
GreekLaw2121/1993cameintoforceon4March1993immediatelyafterthedateofpublication
intheOfficial Journal (Article 77ofGreek Law2121/1993).
Prior tothatdate, thetermofprotection ofworks wasthelifeoftheauthor andfiftyyears
afterhisdeath, theminimum provided forbytheBerne Convention. Atthepresent time, Article 29.1
ofGreek Law2121/1993 extends thetermofprotection from fiftyyears, toseventy years aftertheIP/Q/GRC/1
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death oftheauthor, computed fromtheendoftheyearofdeath. Forexample, works ofauthors who
diedduring theyear1946 areprotected forseventy years pma(1946 +70=2016).
Greek Law2121/1993 introduces theprotection offourrelated rights foraperiod offiftyyears:
therights ofperformers, producers ofsound andvisual oraudiovisual recordings, broadcasting
organizations andpublishers ofprinted matters. Asitconcerns performances andphonograms, the
termofprotection available byArticle 52ofGreek Law2121/1993 isaperiod offiftyyears, computed
from theendoftheyearinwhich theperformance tookplace ortherecording wasmade. All
pre-existing performances andphonograms areprotected, provided thatthetermoffiftyyears hasnot
expired. Theprotection ofMarch 1993-dateofentryintoforceoftheGreek Law2121/1993 -covered
theperiod 1943-1993 andatthepresent timecovers theperiod 1946-1996.
Theabove-mentioned protection forworks, performances andphonograms isapplicable to
nationals aswellastoWTO Members.
[Follow-up questions]
Please confirm thattheterms ofprotection described inthesecond paragraph oftheanswer
areapplied retroactively toworks already inexistence eveniftheywerenotpreviously protected by
Greek copyright law.
Greek lawprotects allworks provided theyhavenotfallen intothepublic domain atthedate
ofentry intoforce ofGreek law2121/1993, including works thathavenotbeenexpressly mentioned
intheprevious law,suchascomputer programmes. Itisworth noticing thatcomputer programmes
created inthepastareexpressly protected byArticle 68,paragraph 2ofGreek law2121/1993.
When yourefer toworks thathavenotfallen intothepublic domain attheentry intoforce
ofGreek law2121/1993, areyoureferring tothepublic domain inGreece orthepublic domain of
anyWTO Member?
InGreece awork fallsintothepublic domain aftertheexpiry ofthetermofprotection provided
forinArticle 29.1ofGreek Law2121/1993. According tothisprovision awork isprotected forthe
whole oftheauthor 'slifetime andforseventy years afterhisdeath, computed fromtheendoftheyear
ofdeath.