Lawyers

Kriton Metaxopoulos

Career

Kriton is an expert in IP Law, Copyright Enforcement and Antipiracy issues, as well as in international Corporate Litigation, White Collar Crime and Asset Recovery He has represented for years MPAA, the Greek Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Association (EPOE), Sony, Warner Bros, Disney, Warner Music, Dassault Systemes, Audiorsparx, as well as many major players of the Greek entertainment industry, such as Odeon Cinemas, Victory Media, Kiss FM, Hot FM, Greek Music Libraries, Maria Callas Estate, ZTE etc.

Kriton’s “out of Greek borders career” is mainly linked to IP, White Collar Crime and Corporate Fraud prosecution. Kriton is responsible for the coordination and legal strategy of a 150 million Euro international corporate litigation matter, involving legal work in Italy, Lebanon, Romania, UK, France and former Soviet Union and Greece. His experience includes representation before Civil and Penal Courts not only in Greece but also in France, Italy, UK and Romania in cooperation with top tier law firms and local practitioners.

Kriton’s experience in International Arbitration includes representation of an International Catering Group in 20 million USD arbitration (ICC), which resulted in an award against the Greek State (19 million USD) over the privatization of Olympic Airways’ catering subsidiary in the ‘90s.

Connected his name with the first ever in Europe prohibition of legal parallel imports of DvDs (Independence Day) by a 1997 decision of the Athens Court of Injunctions, which was subsequently adopted in 2010 by two ECJ “ad hoc” decisions which are applied until today by local Courts in all EU Member States.

He is also known for his involvement in audiovisual censorship cases (Alexander the Great, Last Temptation of Christ) where he represented in Court the US producers and their Greek distributors, contributing to the free theatrical release of the relevant movies in Greece but also to the establishment of a solid case law in favour of the freedom of “viewing” even if “symbols” or “religions” are the “subject r matter” of the audiovisual work in question.

His peers recognize him for his experience and expertise in Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, Corporate Law and Litigation. He is recognized as a leading lawyer in Litigation and Intellectual Property in Legal 500, a leading Individual in TMT and Dispute Resolution by Chambers, a Leading Trademark Individual by WTR 1000 and an Advisory Board Member in Best Lawyers.

He was a BoD member of Warner Music for almost 20 years and was a member of the Board of Directors of Trans European Law Firms Alliance (TELFA) for 25 years.

Memberships

Athens Bar Association International Lawyers Network - ILN (since 2014) Global Advertising Law Firms Alliance - GALA (since 2006) ALAI

Position

Kriton is the Managing Director of A. & K. Metaxopoulos and Partners Law Firm.

Specialized in Copyright, Corporate, Anti Trust Law. Expert in Litigation and Dispute Resolution with a particular expertise in White Collar Crime.

1987 - today: Partner and since (2000) Managing Director of A. & K. Metaxopoulos and Partners Law Firm , Athens Greece.

1991 - 2009: Legal Advisor of the Albert Abela Group of Companies, Head of Litigation Department of Albert J.M Abela, London, Uk.

1987 - 2008: Legal counsel of the Greek Anti Piracy Association in the field of audiovisual works (EPOE), Athens, Greece.

1990 - 2008: Legal Counsel, Board Member of Warner Music Greece SA, Athens, Greece.

1988 - 1990: Special legal advisor on copyright issues to the Greek Federation of Actors, Athens, Greece.

11/1988:Participation in the International Conference on “the Green Paper on Copyright and the Challenge of New Technology”, USFAL, Center of Intellectual Property Rights, Brussels, Luxemburg.

2/1986 – 7/1986 “Stage” at the Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, Luxemburg.

Education

London School of Economics and Political Science LL.M, Law 1984 – 1985

Ethnikon kai Kapodistriakon Panepistimion Athinon / University of Athens LL.B, Faculty of Law 1979 – 1984

Ziridis High School Lyceum 1979.

Mentions

Greece

TMT

LEADING PARTNER