Why Choose Us

In an intensively globalized economy, creation, protection and enforcement of innovation is based on key factors, such as applied expertise, profound analysis of client’s business interests, state of the art knowledge of domestic, European and international legal and procedural framework and support by customized IT tools. If you need an expert to advise and implement the appropriate IP strategy for your business, you are in the right law firm.

With more than 120 years of IP focused legal experience, VAYANOS KOSTOPOULOS is the oldest and one of the leading IP law firms in Greece. Our philosophy is dedication and commitment to client-tailored needs of businesses coming from all branches of industry and services. Our clients and foreign associates enjoy state-of-the-art legal advice services in a timely and precise manner. Our clientele encompasses enterprises from multi-nationals to local businesses, including individual inventors, creators, designers, authors and other IP holders.

As from 1993 VAYANOS KOSTOPOULOS is headed by Dr Nikolaos Lyberis, Managing Partner, Attorney, as well as Patent and Trademark Attorney. He belongs to the fourth generation of lawyers in the same family running the Firm. Soon after becoming the Managing Director, he introduced the name VAYANOS & KOSTOPOULOS, which later changed to VAYANOS KOSTOPOULOS, thus maintaining the surnames of the previous two Office Heads. This decision symbolizes continuity with dynamic development as well as respect of long lasting professional principles.

Modernizing the organizational model of our offices and their three (3) departments (trademarks, patents, litigation), VAYANOS KOSTOPOULOS was transformed to a Law Firm in 2010.

VAYANOS KOSTOPOULOS Law Firm was established in Athens in 1900 being the first firm to introduce IP Law and Practice to Greece. The establisher, Dr Alkiviadis Zoiopoulos practiced from 1896 to 1933. He was a pioneer IP attorney and a multi-lingual legal advisor of the then foreign investors in Greece. He ran for the first two decades of the 20th century the only law firm that was exclusively specializing on trademark and patent law. The Paris Convention (1883) and the first Greek Trademark Law (1893) having been set into force shortly before, Zoiopoulos was fervently engaged in registering and protecting the rights of world leaders of manufacture, such as Merck, IG Farben, OTIS, SINGER, BAYER, DAIMLER and others. On an institutional level he was also involved in the creation of the first Greek Trademark Law ΒΡΝΣΤ 1983 and 1927, contributing his profound expertise.

Peter C. Kostopoulos, the successor of Zoiopoulos, led the offices from 1933 to 1973, having gained worldwide fame as a top IP attorney with deep knowledge of Greek and international Trademark and Patent Law. Not only his English and French clientele, but especially loyal industries coming from German-speaking countries acknowledged his expertise by entrusting him key litigation cases already in the first after-war years.

Pierre Mamopoulos was a distinguished trademark and patent attorney for more than four (4) decades (1930-1974), advising leading industries of international origin and especially French ones, like ROUSSEL, UNION DES FABRICANTS, UCLAF, SODEMA, VICHY, RICARD and others. He was the first to have translated the Greek Civil Code in French (Code Civil Helléniqué). In the late ‘60s Mamopoulos’ law offices were merged with and into Kostopoulos’ practice that had been undertaken in the meantime by their successor George St. Vayanos. 

Prof. Emeritus Dr Dr George St. Vayanos with his dedicated engagement expanded the scope of IP activities still focusing mainly on IP prosecution and litigation concerning all kinds of IP rights. He worked as the firm’s head from 1973 to 1993, when he was attributed the honor of professorship, firstly at the Aristoteles University of Thessaloniki and three years later at the Kapodistrian University of Athens. As a Professor Emeritus, he is currently active in various educational and research activities yielding numerous publications on interdisciplinary scientific fields.

Since 1993 the Vayanos Kostopoulos law firm is directed by the Managing Partner Dr Nikolaos Lyberis.

 

Our Core Values

The creation and maintenance of long lasting professional cooperation in intellectual property matters with major players of the global manufacturing and service sectors, serve as an undeniable guarantee of our firm’s quality services.
These are based on the following values:

Responsiveness

Flexible solutions

Loyalty to the clients

Fast handling

Client-tailored services

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Our Vision For the Future

Steady qualitative control and enhancement of our international network of associates and service providers

Maintenance of our loyal collaborations with market leaders in every branch of production and service activities

Continued education of our team members and adjustment to the needs and demands of our clients

Testimonials

What they say about us

Vayanos Kostopoulos tirelessly follows emerging industry trends and has state-of-the-art solutions for any trademark or brand issue at the ready. The esteemed IP boutique provides seamless prosecution assistance and staunch representation in conflict scenarios. It also brings the heat in the fight against fakes, and extracts maximum value from intangible assets through meticulously drafted contractual agreements in English, German and Greek. Under the care of Supreme Court-admitted litigator Nikolaos Lyberis, all work passes through rigorous quality control, ensuring a consistently top-notch service.
WTR 1000 The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. 2021
Nikolaos Lyberis is an inspiring leader at Vayanos Kostopoulos. The versatile practitioner can finesse any instruction across a broad spectrum of industries, thanks to his well-rounded IP knowledge, and knows how to strike a chord in the courtroom.
IAM 1000 The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.2020
The exacting standards of quality that have characterized Vayanos Kostopoulos’ service for the past 110 years are apparent in every single document its lawyers produce; each is rigorously researched, completely focused and cast in simple, yet engaging language. Managing partner Nikolaos Lyberis is the star of the show and a man for all seasons. Having shepherded countless trademarks from cradle to grave, he oozes experience and makes light work of even the most complex briefs – whether they are contentious or non-contentious.
WTR 1000 The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. 2019
Managing partner at Vayanos Kostopoulos Nikolaos Lyberis shows immense commitment and care in everything he handles. His courtroom pleadings are always pitch-perfect.
WTR 1000 The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. 2018
Vayanos Kostopoulos has had 110 years to hone its customer service, and this is distinctly apparent: putting a premium on close collaboration, its members give clients maximum face time and respond with lightning speed – regardless of the hour of day. All the same, they manage costs effectively thanks to a streamlined internal infrastructure. This recipe has proven extremely popular among a host of companies, ranging from start-ups to multinationals. Nikolaos Lyberis repeatedly works his magic in touch-and-go courtroom fights, remaining methodical and disciplined even as the pressure rises. He possesses a wealth of knowledge across multiple sectors, with experience handling pharmaceutical, consumer goods, automotive, food and beverages and engineering briefs
WTR 1000 The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. 2018
Nikolaos Lyberis at Vayanos Kostopoulos knows how to swing hard-fought cases in clients’ favour with unassailable reasoning and first-rate advocacy; his sectors of choice include consumer goods, engineering and food and beverages.
IAM 1000 The World’s Leading Patent Professionals. 2017
With more than a century of IP experience to its name, Vayanos Kostopoulos has handled every trademark issue under the sun; it matches this with unrivalled knowledge of the particularities of the Greek market. It knows how to meet and exceed the expectations of clients of all shapes and sizes, from start-ups to established local businesses and large multinationals. It serves each with a personal touch; responsiveness and cost effectiveness are hallmarks. Formidable litigator Nikolaos Lyberis has carved out a real niche in the pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, food and beverages and engineering fields.
WTR 1000 The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals.2017
Nikolaos Lyberis has one of the broadest technical skill sets of any IP litigator in Greece and can handle patent disputes arising in virtually any industry sector with confidence and poise.
IAM 1000 The World’s Leading Patent Professionals. 2016
Nikolaos Lyberis, “a strong personality in patent work and a noteworthy individual”.
IAM 1000 The World’s Leading Patent Professionals. 2015
Offering a dedicated IP service that encompasses both prosecution and litigation, Vayanos Kostopoulos is on the ascendant. The firm registers a large volume of national trademarks as well as Community trademarks, and commentators are quick to acknowledge the quality of its services. Nikolaos Lyberis is an influential member of the IP scene and has made significant contributions to the development of law and policy.
World Trademark Review 1000. 2014
Vayanos Kostopoulos’ Nikolaos Lyberis “has a natural aptitude for IP, which he uses to maintain a robust client roster
IAM Patent 1000. 2014
Vayanos Kostopoulos boasts an illustrious history spanning over a century. The first IP office in Greece, it can draw on this wealth of experience to provide astute advice to rights holders. “It is a traditional IP boutique which can adroitly handle prosecution mandates.” Nikolaos Lyberis is the leading light of the practice.
World Trademark Review 1000. 2014
Offering a dedicated IP service that encompasses both prosecution and litigation, Vayanos Kostopoulos is on the ascendant. The firm registers a large volume of national trademarks as well as Community trademarks, and commentators are quick to acknowledge the quality of its services. Nikolaos Lyberis is an influential member of the IP scene and has made significant contributions to the development of law and policy.
WTR 1000 The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. 2013