Greece
Answer ... Court proceedings are public. The court may, upon the request of the parties, take measures to preserve the confidentiality of trade secrets presented in the course of the proceedings.
Greece
Answer ... Infringement or validity proceedings commence with the filing of a writ by the claimant stating the facts on which the action is based and a request for relief. This must be served on the defendant within 30 days of filing (60 days where the defendant is based abroad).
Within 120 days of filing (180 days for foreign defendants), the parties must submit their brief and evidence. The parties have the right to submit a rebuttal brief within 135 days of the filing of the main action (195 days for foreign defendants).
The next step is the main hearing, which will usually be scheduled for within one or several months (depending on the workload of the court). The parties primarily rely on their written submissions and only in exceptional cases will witnesses be examined orally.
If invalidity is raised as a defence/counterclaim to infringement, the court will consider validity and infringement together. However, if an invalidity action is brought separately, the court may either consolidate the invalidity and infringement actions or leave them bifurcated; if bifurcated, the action issued second will be stayed pending the outcome of that issued first.
Greece
Answer ... The average time to obtain a decision on the merits (infringement or invalidity) is estimated at between 16 and 24 months from filing of the action.
Greece
Answer ... While not binding, the court will often consider the decisions of Greek or foreign courts, which may have an impact on its case evaluation.