Finance Monthly Global Awards 2018 Edition

ABOUT DR. VOELKEL Dr. Voelkel graduated from the University of Heidelberg, Germany with a Law degree and holds a Master and a PhD degree from Athens University. He is admitted to practise before the Supreme Court and Council of State in Greece. Dr. Voelkel is an expert in intellectual property litigation in Greece, especially in patent, plant variety and trademark cases. He has extensive experience in handling IP issues, including consultation and legal representation of major multinational companies. As a native German speaker, fluent in Greek and English, he is well placed to assist international clients in patent, plant variety and trademark cases in Greece. He has handled various litigations, many of which have been multi-jurisdictional. Dr. Voelkel is included in “IAM 1000” as one of the Leading Professionals in Greece since 2013 until today and he has been awarded by “Global Law Experts” as leading expert concerning IP litigation in Greece. Contact Voelkel Kataliakos Roussou Law Office 49, Mavromichali Street, Athens 10680, Greece T: +30-210 3619400 | F: +30-211 1115185 E: mail@vokalaw.gr | W: www.vokalaw.gr Finance Monthly Global Awards 2018 www.finance-monthly.com 18 GREECE IP LITIGATION LAWYER OF THE YEAR Firm Profile Our law office has been established by the lawyers Henning Voelkel, Georgios Kataliakos and Anna Roussou. Our office is seated in the center of Athens, close to the Courts, the Trademark Office and the Patent Office. We became recognized IP legal experts already early on in our careers when we were working for renowned Greek law firms and we recently decided to create our own firm. Based on our experience of up to twenty years in, we can claim to be of the best lawyers in our field. All lawyers of our firm are highly experienced and recognized in the field of commercial law and intellectual property law. We have handled many IP litigations for International clients in our career. We act as consultants and advisors for our clients and we also act on their behalf before all Greek Courts. We are closely cooperating with our clients in order to reach their goals in the best possible way, by providing strategies for the worldwide protection of the IP portfolios of our clients. Our client portfolio includes Greek Companies which operate in the worldwide market, but also International clients which protect their IP portfolio in the European Market. Especially for our non-EU clients it is highly important that we are able to provide legal services for the whole European Market and for highly competitive prices. European Union lawyers are entitled to represent their clients before all European Authorities. Therefore, it does not make a difference if your lawyer is seated in France, Italy, Germany or Greece. Non- EU clients may therefore select their lawyers for the EU wide protection of their trademark or patent portfolios in any EU country. However, due to our seat in Greece, our services are usually more than 50% less expensive than similar services of law firms in other European Countries. We provide German services for Greek prices. We can also provide legal services in jurisdictions outside EU, around the world, through an extensive network of trusted associate law firms and IP agents with whom we cooperate. Our ability to act in so many countries outside EU enables us to streamline our clients’ filing projects and reduce administrative costs of their portfolio management. Areas of Expertise Our main practice fields are intellectual property law, competition law, commercial law and civil law. Trademarks are an important feature to distinguish a product or service from that of competitors and are often the most valuable assets of companies. New products can be successfully brought into the market only, if a secured trademark position is established in advance. Therefore, the success of companies very much depends on the conditions under which a trademark is filed and the protection thereof against infringers. It is therefore of utmost importance that companies have a trademark and brand strategy. Our law office provides all related services concerning trademarks, including the services before the filing, the filing, the recordal of changes and the related court proceedings before the Civil Courts and before the EUIPO. Especially for our non- EU clients we are able to provide services for the whole EU market. One further important filed of expertise is the protection of patents. European patents with effect in Greece, as well as Greek Patents, give the patent holder an exclusive right to prohibit any third party from using the patented invention without his consent. These rights are enforced in proceedings before the Civil Courts. Our law office represents our clients’ legal interests where their patents are infringed or where they are accused of infringing third-party patent rights. The protection of Plant variety rights before the Courts is a new legal field in Greece, however, Dr. Voelkel was one of the attorneys involved in the First case in which a decision was issued for the protection of a community plant variety right in Greece. Our law office is one of the few law practices in Greece with experience in this legal field. Our expertise also includes legal services related to Designs, Supplementary Protection Certificates, Utility Models, Copyrights, Domain Names and Competition Law. One of our lawyers, George Kataliakos, is a certified mediator and we therefore handle arbitration proceedings and we are advising and representing clients before arbitration panels Finally, we also provide services in related practice areas, such as criminal proceedings due to the infringement of intellectual property rights. DR. HENNING VOELKEL Partner at Voelkel Kataliakos Roussou Law Office