Copyright
Copyright is an automatic right which you do not need to formally apply or pay for. It arises as soon as the work is “fixed” in a material form (for example when the work is written down, or recorded).
Cyprus law does not provide a formal registration procedure for copyright.
However, based on our experience, it is prudent to be in a position to have evidence of the copyright since there is no registration process which can prove your ownership. This may be done by using a number of informal methods which may include the use of © symbol followed by your name and the date to indicate when the work was created and by who. A dated copy of this work can be deposited with a lawyer to establish beyond doubt when you created your work.
You can also submit your work (or the details of your work) to a database, confirming via an affidavit the date of the creation of the work and the details of the author.
As per the Cyprus legislation, generally the author/creator of the work is also the first owner of any copyright in it. The only exception to this is where the work is made by an employee in the course of his employment agreement.
Also it is possible that two or more people are joint authors and thus joint owners of copyright.
Copyright can be bought, sold, transferred (wholly or in part) only in written form.
Trademark and Patent Ownership in Cyprus
The details of the owner of a trademark and a patent in Cyprus are recorder in the Cyprus Registry.
Any interested person can conduct a search in order to clarify whether a trademark / patent is protected in Cyprus and the details of the owner.
Cyprus, as a member – country of the European Union protects all community trademarks since a CTM registration of a trademark secures the automatic extension and protection of the trademark in all the countries of the European Union. Further protection is afforded to patents granted by the EPO provided that Cyprus is designated as a country and the patent is duly validated here.
Well known and famous trademarks are also protected in Cyprus, regardless of the fact that they might not be registered.
The use of symbol “TM” or ® is not required by Cyprus law.
