WORLD TRADE 
ORGANIZATION 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights IP/N/lIGRC/G/3 
29 January 1997 
(97-0337) 
Original: English 
MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS AND REGULATIONS 
NOTIFIED UNDER ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE AGREEMENT 
Greece 
The present document reproduces! the following laws and regulations, as notified by Greece 
under Article 63.2 of the Agreement (document IP/N/lIGRCIlIRev 1): 
Legislative Decree No. 243125.7.1969, 
Articles 4,5, 7, 8(0, 10, 14, IS, 16 and 17, o J. (FEK) No. 144A'/25.7.1969 
Law No. 427/31.8.1976, 
Articles 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 12 and 13, 
0.1. (FEK) No. 230A'/31.8.1976 
! In English only 2 
8 IP IN I l/GRC/G/3 
Page 2 
TRANSLATION (AUTHENTIC: GREEK) 
O.J. (FEK) 144A/25 • 7 -69 
LEGISLATIVE DECREE (L.D.) NO 243 
.. On the Improvement and protectIon of Vine Production" 
CHAPTER II 
Protection of Vine Production 
Article 4 
1. The term Appellation of Origin defines the geographical name 
(toponymy) of a district or certain region, which can be used as a trade 
name of a wine, provided that it is typical of the region concerned, i.e. 
of a quality and properties mainly due to factors characterizing the area 
(natural and technical coefficient!!). 
2. Wines coming from a certain region have the right to bear tho 
toponymy of the region as an appellation of origine, provided that they 
fulfill the conditions laid down by the present u(icrec. The use of a 
toponymy of a specific area is forbidden for wines of other origin, even 
in case of decisive designations prior to toponymy, such as kind, type 
etc. 
3. The appellations of origin of wines are recogllised and protected, 
provided that they arc in compliance with the provisiolls of the present 
decree. 
Article 5 
1. Wines entitled to an appelation of origin are distinguished in 
wines of a controlled appellation of origin and wiues of simple 
appellation of origin. 
2. Wines of controlled appellation of origin should come from 
grapes of selected varieties, cultivated traditionally in each area and on 
suitable for the production of quality wines in limited vine zones, within 
which they ahould be produced and fulfill certain conditions relating to 
the yields per Ha of vines, the pruning methods and the minilllum 
content of sugar into the must. 
3. Wines within the category of simple appellation of origin should 
come from grapes of certain vine varieties, culUvated traditionally in all 
area and on suitable soils, within limited vine wnes, where they should 
be produced. 
4. Wines of simple appellation of origin can be also marketed as 
high quality wines of appellation of origin, provided that they fulfill laid 
down by a decision signed by the Minister of Agrlcultme, following a 
relevant proposal of the Central Committee for the Prot~CtlOIl of Vine IP/N/lIGRC/G/3 
Page 3 
Production (C.C.P.V.P.), referring to the boumhlrics of a legion, the 
suitable varieties, the pruning methods, the: maximum yield per Ha and 
the content of sugar into the must. 
5. The toponymy designated as comtrolIed appcJJation of origin 13 
prohibited to be used simultaneously as a simple appellation of origin. 
6. Royal Decrees (R.D) issued after a relcvant proposal of the 
Minister fo Agriculture and following the recomcndation of the 
C.C.P. V.P., shall revise and determine the recognlllcu appellations of 
origin under the Law 5~06/1932 "concerning thc protection of domestic 
vine production" within two years from the pUblication of the present 
L.D., either ex officio or following an aplication made by ilie intOl"/ited 
parties, which should be submitted within six months from the 
publication of the present L.D., this six. month tlme limit can be 
extended for six more months by a decision uf the Minister of 
Agriculture. 
7. AppCillation of origin recognised under Law 5~06/1932 are valid 
until the afore said revision, and they Bhall be automatically abolished in 
Casci they are not revised and determined by the relevant R.Ds. as above. 
8. Recognition of new appellations of origin is feasible; through 
R.Ds. issued after a proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and 
following the suggestion of the C.C.P.V.P. 
9. Relevant R.Ds. shall determine ~ in case of wine!; of controlled 
appellation of origin p the limits of the area. the Imitable varieties, the 
pruning methods, the maximum yield per ha and the content of sugar 
into the must, " in case of simple appellation of origin -the limits of the 
area, the suitable varieties for each region, as well as the procedure for 
annual renewal of the right to use the appellation of 01 igi11. 
10. Wines of appellation of origin shOUld not be markeled otherwise 
than as bottled wines. bottling rights arc assigned either to persons 
entitled, by virtue of the present L.D., to use a cont.rolled or a simple 
appellation of origin, or to persons particularly authodzcd by the 
entitled onc thlOugh a 110tarial act. 
11. Joint decisions of the Ministers of Agriculture, Industry and 
Finance, published in the official gazette shall detCirmine: 
a) The special conditions of bottIlng wines of appellation of 
origin. 
b) The loading and transit centers, the way of shielding of barrels, 
contain~s, tanks or other transportation means (tankers, railcars, 
vehicles, ete) used for the trasportation of these wines. 
12. Transportation of non-boWed wines of appellation of origin is 
permitted, under the issuing of a relevant liwncc from tile COlllpetent 
Directorate of Agriculture, if these arc destined for bottling outside of 
the production places, either domestically or abroad, as well as if these IP/N/1/GRC/G/3 
Page 4 
are destined to be used for the production of other products. The type 
and conditions for issuing such licence will bv detennind through a 
decision of the Minister of Agriculture. Concerning wines contaitling 
alcohol additives, the above llcencc is issued afteI pdor examination 
carried out by the General State Chemical Laboratory or its 1 cgional 
branches. 
13. The terms and conditions for using toponymies as u'adc~marks for 
wines are defined by a R.D., issued after proposal of the Minister of 
Agrlculture:;, following the suggestion of C.C.P.V.P. 
14. All registered wine; trade-marks applied to toponymies up today 
are valid till the pubUcation of th~ above mentioned B..D. and 
henceforth provided that the terms and condition~ laid down thereof arc 
fulfilled. 
15. Trade-marks registered under the relevant legIslation 011 trade­
marks and applied to toponymies of limited vine-zones as well as on 
bottled wines of recognised high quality can hencoforth be exceptionally 
applied, provided -following a relevant applk~tiou of the interested 
persons ~ they arc registered under a R.D. issued within a 3-mollth 
period from the entry into force of the present L.D. after a proposal 
made by the Ministers of Trade and Agriculture following tho relevant 
suggestion from the C.C.P.V.P. 
16. Production, control and protection issuc;~ for the rcsin-flavored 
wines are governd through a R.D. issued after a lelevant proposallllade 
by the Ministers of Agriculture, Trade and Finance. 
17. Exports of typical wines is forbidden, in case they are not 
accompanied by a certificate of origin issued by the compltent 
Directorate of Agriculture, The form and further details of such 
certificates shall be determined by a dlcision of the Minister of 
Agriculture. 
Article 7 
1. Each person engaged in the production of vinicultural products 
entitled to an appellation of origin, Is obllged to keep a registcl. which 
should contain full information allowing control of products. This 
information shall be determined by a joint decision of the Ministers of 
ASriCUItUl e and Finance. 
2. All vitlcultural and vinicuHural products (grapes, must, wines, 
special wines) entitled to an appellation of originshould be accompanied 
-in the course of their circulation, except for retail 8!lle -by a. report. 
stating at least the names and the addrcs~vs of the consigner and the 
receiver, the place of origin, the weight or the volume and the kind of 
product,the alcoholic strength (the content of alcohol and dco}Cldlzing 
sugar) and the:; appellation of origin. the kind and typo of the said 
report, its use and supplementary data (depending on the nature of the IP/N/lIGRC/G/3 
Page 5 
productO shall be defined by a joint decision of the Ministers of 
Agriculture and Finance. 
3. Each person employed ill the marketing of vlnicultural products, 
entitled to an appellation of origin, with the exception of retailers, 
Should keep a register containing all information mentioned in the 
above (par 2) accompanying report, which souId be kept and presented 
upon request of relevant control authorities for a five-year period. 
4. Persons intending to market wines of appellation of origin as 
common wines, should make a relevant declaration to the compiient 
Directorate of Agriculture, concerning the quantity to be marketed as 
common wine. 
5. Supervision and conirol for compliance with the provisions of the 
present L.D., concerning ,vines entitled to an appellation of origin, is 
carried out by the Local Agricultural Services, while concerning other 
wines by the State Chemical Laboratory and its rc:gional branches 
respectively, according to the existing provisions. 
6. The bodies authorized for the supc::rvision and control for 
compliance are entitled io carry out lhelr task c:;very working day at 
wineries, wine storehouses, wlnw sale-stations. while winery owners Cite 
are obliged to furnish these bodies with full details about their work. 
7. Control and supervision activities, their c:;xtent as well as full 
details about the application of the previous paragraph shall be 
determined by loint decision of the Ministers of Finance and 
Agriculture. 
8. Bodies authorized by the present artidc for supcrvi~ion and 
control, being aware of either professional, commercial, trading etc 
secrets, pertaining to their competencies or other relevant a~tiviUes, are 
obliged to safeguard secrecy thereof, otherwise subjected to penalties 
provided for in the Penal Code. 
Article 8 
1. Validity of the provisions of the present L. D., concerning the 
registration and protection of appellations of origin, may be extended to 
imported wines from third countries on the principle of mutuality, via 
the issuing of R.Ds. following a proposal made by the Ministers of 
Agriculture, Finance and Tra.de. 
Article 10 
1. A Central Committee for the Protection of Vino Products 
(C.C.P.V.P.) is constituted by the Ministry of Agriculture. The 
C.C.P.V.P. is a consulting body responsible for the designation of 
appellation of origin, as well as for the protection and improvement of 
vIne production and wine marketing. IP/N/lIGRC/G/3 
Page 6 
2. Setting up and operating procedures of this Committee shall be 
determined by a joint decision of the Ministers of Agriculture, Finance 
and Trade, issued within a 3-months period from the entry into force of 
the present L.O. and published in the Official Gazette. 
3. A dlcision of the Minister of Agriculture ~hall enable the:: 
constitution of spCiCial committees, responsible for the examination of 
the terms governing the territories of a toponymy, the suitability of soil, 
the proper vine varietics, the pruning methods, the maximum yield per 
ha, the content of sugar into thCi must. 
CHAPTER In 
Oenel al Dispositions 
Article 14 
At least a 3-months imprisonment. and financial penalties arc 
imposed on: 
a) Whoever, by violation of article: 4 of the presellt L.D., USCiS the 
toponymy of a region as a wine appellation of origin, while this product 
is neither of the quality nor has the characteristic properties owitlg to 
the natural or technical factors of the region, also whoe:ver uses the 
toponymy of a region to wines of other origin, even in case of decisive 
designations prior to toponymy such as kind, type of product etc. 
b) Whoever puts in the market or in any way sales a product as a 
wine of the category of controlled app~llation of origin, while it does 
not fulfill the conditions provided for in paragraph 2 of article 5 of the 
present L,D. 
c) Whoever puts in the market or in any way /jales a product as a 
wine of the category of simple appellation of origin, while it does not 
fulfill the conditions provided for in paragraph 3 of article 5 of the 
present L.D. 
d) Whoever uses a recognised controlled appoIJatioll of onglll 
together with a simple appellation of origin to the /jame wine (article 5 
par. 5). 
c) Whoever uses a non-recognised or abolished appellation of 
origin or a toponymy as a trade-mark, in case conditions laid down by 
the relevant Decrce are 110t fulfilled (article: 5 par. 7, 13, 14). 
f) Whoever puts on the market a wine of appellation of origin, 
without being entitled to (article 5 par 10). 
8) Whoever violates provisions laid down in the joiut decision of 
the Ministers of Agriculture, Industry and Finance, publishod in the IP/N/lIGRC/G/3 
Page 7 
Official Gazette, concerning the specific terms governin~ the bottling of 
wines of appellation of origin, the loading and reloading centres, the 
way of shielding of barrels, containers, tanks or other transportation 
means (tankers, railcars, vehicles, etc.). 
h) Whoever carries or delivers over for transportation non-bottled 
wine of appellation of origin, either to be bottled out of its production 
place, or 10 be used for the production of other products, whithout any 
licence of the competent DIrectorate of Agriculture. 
Article 15 
1. Legal procooings against violators of articles 4, 5 and 6 par 2 of 
the present L.D., are taken place under a violation protocol prepared by 
the State Chemical Laboratory or its regional branches. the competent 
Directorate of Agriculture, or the the Wine Institute. 
Relevant procedures are laid down by the R.D. of 14th February 
1939 "concerning legislation codex governing duties and taxes on 
alcoholic beverages", by the applicatio of the provisions of articles 22 
and 27 thereof, as well as par. 5 of article 26 on confiscation. 
Article 16 
1. Wine or must produced, owned, trasportcd, exported or selled in 
violation of the provisions of article 4, 5 and 6 par. 2 of the present 
L.D. i5 confbcatcd. 
2. Confiscation is ordered by the Court, even if the person having 
any relevant right does not commit the offence. 
3. The confiscated wine or must or the destllled alcohol or tlle wine 
extract are sold under the current provisions, and the money is deposited 
to the Central Fund for Africulture, Livestock Breeding and Forests, 
follOWing clearing of import duties, taxes, etc. due to the Public. 
Article 17 
For the infringements set out in the provisions of arlicle 4 of the 
present L.D., destruction of labels or wrappers is pronounced by the 
Court. In addItion, the Court may also order confiscatiol1 of 
caontainclS and bottles. 
The Court may therefore order once for all publication of the 
whole condemning judgement or its summary in onc; Gazette at the 
expense of the condomned. IP/N/lIGRC/G/3 
Page 8 
TRANaLATION (AUTHENTIC: GREEK) 
O,J. (ftK) 2301-./31-8-76 
LAW No 427 
"Concerning the replacement, completion and abolition 
of some provisions of the legislative Decree 243/1969 
improvement and protection of vlnicultural production' 
Art1cle 3 
The paragraph 2 of articl 4 of the L.D, 243/1969 i5 replaced a5 
following : 
H Th~ wln~6 of a certa1n reglons can bear ~s an appellatlon of 
origin the toponymy of this reg10n only if they meet the term~ 
provid0d by the preBent law. It ls prohibited to use, totally or 
partially, the appellation of or1gin a5 well ae name of the variety of the vineyard 1ncluded in the appellation of or1gin of 
a given wine. for wine3 of other origin, even though in the u6ed 
Word6 pr~ceded or followed other determinative expre63ione a~ 
type, ~pecie~. manner ote». 
Article 4 
1. The: paragraph 2 of article 5 of the L.D. 243/1969 13 replaced 
aB followIng: 
a2: a) The w1nes of controlled appellations of origin must 
derived from grapes of fine varieties of v1noyard. growing tn 
50115 prop~r for a quatity wine production, in a restricred vini~ 
cultural zone and meet certa1n requirements reffered in the yield p6r 5tr~md of the vineyardB. in the pruning sY6tem and in the 
minimum content of ~ugar into the mu~t. 
b) Th~ wine5 belonged 1n the caLegory of 
appellations of or1gin must derived from grapes of 
varieti~B of vineyard growing 1n proper soils of a 
v1nicultural zonek
• the simple 
appropriate 
restricted 
2: the par: J of article 5 of the L.U. 243/1969 is replaced from 
the begining of the vinlcultural period 1975, as following: 
NJ: The proceeBlng of grapes Into must and the mUBt in to 
wine 15 carried out within the defined zone of appellation of 
origin of the WIne. According to the decisions of the Minister of 
Agriculture, following c.C.P.v.P, '9 opinlon the above-mentioned 
Dr00~65ing can be carried out outside the zone of appellation of 
origin but in any ca~e inside the area the naMe of which b~ar th6 tvpioal Wln~5 aB far aB there are special reasons concerning these", 
J: ;1"11(; paL 8 of article 5 (If the L.D, 243/1969 1~ replaced aH 
following 
"8. a) The recogn1tion of the new appellations of origin i~ 
determined through the P.Ds. i55ued after a proposal by the Mini-IP IN I l/GRC/G/3 
Page 9 
5ter ot Agriculture, follow1ng C.C.P.V.P.'8 recommandation. 
b) Accord1ng to the decl~lon by ~he M1niater of Agri­
culture, following c.c.P.v.P.'~ recomm<lndat1on, the conditione 
and the 6ubm1tted information for the recognition of the new 
appellations of origin of wines are determined". 
4. The par. 9 of article 5 of the L.D. 243/1969 13 replaced aB 
following: 
~9i With eimilar P,Ds. the tollow1ng ahould be determined; a) concernlng the winCH of oontroll~d app~llatlon of origin, the limitB of the area, the permitted varieties growing 
in each area, the pruning BYBt~m, t-he maMimum yi~1lj5 p~r ha, anll 
the content of 8ugar into the mu~t. 
b) Concerning the w1ne3 of 5imple appellation of ori­
gin, the limitfi of the area and the permitted varieties growlnq 
in each area, The procedure of granting the right for th~ UBe or 
th~ app~llation of origin tor the wines produced each year. is 
determined by deciBion5 of the Mlni3ter of Agriculturou: 
5; Tht par: 10 of article S of the L.D. 143/1969 1s replaced as 
fo llowlng ; 
~lO: a) Tho winoB or ~ppellatlon of orig1n according to the 
preaent article dre destinated to con5umpt1on only in bottleo; Aooording"to the provi51ons of the present law and the implement­
ing" :P.D5, and Ministerial deciBion5,the right for bottling of 
th~5~ wino5 haB the trader of the wines of appellation of o~i91n 
or other per50n being author15ed through a notarial deed. 
JJ} EKQilptlonally, "the de:3tlndtion to con:mmption of 
unbottled wlne6 of appellation of orig1n iB permitted, only 
within the limit~ of the area of Which bear the traditional name. 
The limits of the area in which the destination to consumption of 
unbottled wineB of appellation of or1gin 15 p~rmitted, the term~ 
of marketing as well a5 the control of these, are determined by 
Joint deC151on~ of the Ministers of Agriculture. Finance, and 
Trade. 
6. The paragr. 13 of article 5 of the L.O. 243/1969 is replaced 
as following: 
"lJ. Tl1e requirements and terms of using the toponymy as 
trade-mark for wines are determined by P.D. issued after a propo­
Gal by the Ministers of Agriculture and Trade. following 
C.C.P.V.P.·s recommandations". 
7. The par, 14 of article 5 of the Low vecree 243/1969 is re­
placed 6B following: 
"14. All the regiBtered trade-markB for wines 30 fa~. bear­
ing a toponymy, can be used until the above-mentioned P.D. hu5 
been 16~ued, henceforth provided that the terms and condition5 
laid-down there-of are fulfilled". 
8. The par. 16 of article 5 ot the L.O. 243/1969 i~ replaced d~ IP/N/lIGRC/G/3 
Page 10 
following 
"16: MatterD relating to the production, control and protec­
tion of re31nou6 wlnea, aB well d3 the traditional name5 of 
wine5. with the exception of the toponymle3 and the names of the 
vdrietie6. are determined by P.Ds. iS5ued after a proposal of the 
Hinisters of Agr1culture,F1nance and Trade, following 
C.C.P.V.P. 's recommandat1ons", 
9; 1n article 5 of the L.D. 243/1969, the para9~apho 19, 19 are 
added as follows : 
u15: The type and the term3 ot furnishing by the competent 
Directorate~ ot Agriculture of the certificate~ of origin for 
win~5 of (!orrunon c01l3umptlon and other w1ne's categorle3 in cases 
these are demanded for exportz are determined by decisions of the 
Minioter of Agriculture". 
"19, a) aefore the grant1ng of control tape~ or the certifi­
cate3 of origin, the typical wlne3. following their previoU6 
QhBmiodl and microscopiC examination by the State Chemical Labor­
atory or the laboratories of the Mini5try of Agriculture. go 
through an organqleptic test by a Comlttee set up by joint deci­
sions of the Mlniater3 of Agriculture and financo and composed 
from two officlal5 of the Hlni3try of Agriculture, two officials 
of the State Chemical Laboratory, one reprezentat1ve of the v1ne­
grow~r6 'de~ignated by ,the Panhellen1c Confederation of Agricul­
tural Cooperative organizations, and one reproaentat1ve of wine­
ri~fi, cooperat1ve or private;' depending on the Cd5e, following 
the propo5a16 of the-centrar;coopera~ive Foderation of ore~k Wine 
~rOdU~~[BI or of the Federation of Greek Induatries. 
In case of rejecting the relevant application, the 1ntere5ted 
p~r50n hdfi the right to demand the re-examination from a central 
committee of appeal compo6ed from two repreeentative5 Qf the 
Minifitry of Agriculture, one repre~entative of the Wine Insti­
tute, two representative3 of the State chemical Laboratory, one 
ropr~B~ntative of panhellenlc confederation of Agricultural 
Cooperative organizations and one repre5entative of the Federa­t10n of Greek !ndu~trie~. 
b) Finally the wine to be rejected can be con~umed a3 
wine!.'l of COffill'lon c0113umption as well d::3 they are not cQntrary to the provi8ions in fora. 
0) A,]cordlng to the joint decbio1l8 by the l1in1.5ter~ of Agriculture and Finance publ15hed in the official Gaeette are 
determined! th~ oharaCter5 of wines of appellation of origin, the 
way of samplIng, te~t and re-examination of the~e, the oS5ignmcnt 
of morubtfB Of the comm1ttee and their Qperalion, the time of the 
beggining of mea8ure appl1cation ae well aB each relevant detail", 
Article 6 
The paragr. 5 oE article 7 of the L.D. 243/1969, is ~eplaced a~ 
following: IP IN I l/GRC/G/3 
Page 11 
"5, The supervision and the control for compliance 
prov151oue of the preeent Law, is carrled out by the 
5ervices of the Ministry of Agriculture or the State 
Laboratory according to the provi~ion3 in force". 
Article 10 
Article 14 of the L,P. 243/1969 i3 replaced a~ follows 
"Art icle 14 with the 
competent 
chemical 
At INlOt witll three months' imprisonment an('1 fine punished 
a) The offenders of the provi51on5 of article 4 par. 2 of 
tho precent law. 
b} The offenders of the provisions of article 5. par. 5 of 
the present li'lw. 
Article 11 
Article 15 of the L.D. 243/1969 16 replaced a~ following I 
"Article 15 
~he pro~ecutlon of the infringements ot art1cle 1 par. 
3,4,5 and 6 par.-2 of the prefJent law is carried out on the basis of an infringement protocole diawn up by the ~ompetent control 
agencies of the Mini5try ot Agriculture or State Chemical Labora­tory: A~~ording to ~r~5, Decrees, 156ued after the proposals by 
the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance. the procedure of the 
pro5~~ut1on of the above-mentioned the procedure of the seizure 
of the goods a6 well as the good~ subject to "seizure aro laid down". 
Article 12 
Article 16 of the L.O. 243/1969 1s replaced as following 
"Article 16 
1. In case of vlolation of the provisions of ar~lcles 4, 5 and 6 
paragr. 2 of the present law. the wine or mU5t produced, owned 
traneported. exported or destinated to consumption is 3eized. 
2. The competent court orders the ~eizure independently of the 
participation in the offence concerned of the person who has any 
right on the goods. 
3, The 8eized wine or must or the dest1l1ed alchol or wine extract are sold according to the prOVisions in force and the 
money 16 deposited 1n the General Fund for Agriculture, Livestock 
Breeding and Forest3, following clearing of import dutlt5. taX05 
6tG due to the public», 
Art1cle 13 
Article 17 of the L.D. 243/1969 18 replaced a~ following 
"Article 17 
For infringements of article8 4 and 5 of the pre~ent lnw. IP/N/1/GRC/G/3 
Page 12 
the court orderB the de~truct1on of the labe15 and wr4ppe~a. The 
Court can also orders the seizure of the bQttle3 and pots, ae 
w~ll as the publication through a newspaper once for all of a 
verdict of guilt or an ab3tract of it at the expenses of con­
demned per30n".