Dr. Helen G. Papaconstantinou and Partners

Patents and Industrial Designs Department

Partner

Maria Athanassiadou is an attorney at law and one of the founding partners of Dr Helen G Papaconstantinou and Partners, Law Firm (HP&P), heading the patents and designs department.

With almost 30 years’ experience in all IP fields, she focuses her practice on IP litigation and counselling and IP contracts – with a strong emphasis on patents, supplementary protection certificates, utility models, designs and trademarks. Ms Athanassiadou represents and advises major international and domestic clients, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, building and developing effective strategies that suit their business objectives and purposes.

She has been ranked as a Leading Individual in The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 and 2021 – Intellectual Property rankings as well as a Recommended Individual in IAM 1000 – World’s Leading Patent Professionals since 2020. In addition, she has been awarded the 2022 and 2020 Certificate of Excellence as a leading expert for Patents Law advice in Greece by Advisory Excellence and she is winner of the Global Awards 2021 – Patent Law Expert of the Year in Greece by Leaders-in-Law.  She has also been selected by Global Law Experts, Advisory Excellence and Leaders in Law as the Patent Litigation Law representative in Greece for 2022.  Furthermore, she was a recommended Lawyer in the 2020 rankings and Trademark Star 2020/21 in Intellectual Property rankings in IP STARS 2021 and 2020.

Maria is a regular contributor to several significant patent, trademark and industrial designs publications, including Wolters Kluwer Manual IP, Lexology, IAM, World Trademark Review, Katzarov’s Manual on Industrial Property and several INTA resources. Recent contributions include:

Unite the Union fails to obtain cancellation of WATERFORD mark for glassware, WTR Daily, July 2022 Designs 2022, Lexology/Getting the Deal Through, Greece chapter, December 2021; European SPCs Unravelled, Greece chapter, Wolters Kluwer 2021; Global Patent Litigation, Helping businesses navigate the new normal 2022, Greece chapter, supplement to IAM, October 2021; and “General Court: Board of Appeal erred in taking account of highly distinctive character for certain goods”, WTR Daily, October 2021 Business Brief: Greece, WIPR Annual 2020 (co-author) Patents in Greece, Lexology GTDT, April 2020 Designs 2020 - A Global Guide: Greece, supplement to World Trademark Review, December 2019 General Court provides guidance on proof of enhanced distinctiveness, WTR Daily, November 2019 Greece: Patent Litigation - Comparative Guide, The Legal 500 & The In-House Lawyer, November 2019 (co-author) General Court confirms likelihood of confusion between H'UGO'S and HUGO'S BURGER BAR- WTR Daily, July 2019 3rd Edition Intellectual Property Country Comparative Guide, The Legal 500 & The Legal 500 & The In-House Lawyer, June 2019 (co-author) Patents in Greece, Lexology GTDT, May 2019 Business Brief: Greece, WIPR Annual 2019 (co-author) Patents in Europe: Helping business compete in the global economy 2019/2020, supplement to IAM, April 2019 General Court rules on genuine use of figurative trademarks MEBLO – WTR Daily - March 2019, Designs 2019 A Global Guide.

Greek, English, Spanish, French, German

Member of International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI)

Member of the Pharmaceutical Trademarks Group (PTMG)

Member of International Trademark Association (INTA)

Athens Bar Association, as from 1996

Masters’ degree in Spanish studies, University of Barcelona, 2018

Law Degree, University of Athens, Greece, 1994