Technological measures

Article 66A N. 2121/1993

 

1. The term technological measures means any technology, device or component that, in the normal course of its operation, is designed to prevent or restrict acts, in respect of works or other subject-matter, which are not authorized by the rightholder of any copyright or any right related to copyright as well as the sui generis right of the data base maker. Technological measures shall be deemed effective where the use of a protected work or other subject-matter is controlled by the rightholders through application of an access control or protection process, such as encryption, scrambling or other transformation of the work or other subject-matter or a copy control mechanism, which achieves the protection objective.

 

2. It is prohibited to circumvent, without the permission of the rightholder, any effective technological measure when such act is made in the knowledge or with reasonable grounds to know that he is pursuing that objective.

 

3. It is prohibited without the permission of the rightholder, to engage in the manufacture, import, distribution, sale, rental, advertisement for sale or rental, or possession for commercial purposes of devices, products or components or the provision of services which:

  • are promoted, advertised or marketed for the purpose of circumvention of or
  • have only a limited commercially significant purpose or use other than to circumvent or
  • are primarily designed, produced, adapted or performed for the purpose of enabling or facilitating the circumvention of any effective technological measures.

 

4.  The practice of activities in violation of the above provisions is punished by imprisonment of at least one year and a fine of 2.900 to 15.000 Euro and entails the civil sanctions of article 65 Law 2121/1993. The One-Member First Instance Court may order an injunction in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure, the provision of article 64 Law 2121/1993 also being applicable.

 

5. Notwithstanding the legal protection provided for in par. 4 of this article, as it concerns the limitations (exceptions) provided for in Section IV of law 2121/1993, as exists, related to reproduction for private use on paper or any similar medium (article 18), reproduction for teaching purposes (article 21), reproduction by libraries and archives (article 22), reproduction for judicial or administrative purposes (article 24), as well as the use for the benefit of people with disability (article 28A), the rightholders should have the obligation to give to the beneficiaries the measures to ensure the benefit of the exception to the extent necessary and where that beneficiaries have legal access to the protected work or subject-matter concerned. If the rightholders do not take voluntary measures including agreements between rightholders and third parties benefiting from the exception, the rightholders and third parties benefiting from the exception may request the assistance of one or more mediators selected from the list of mediators drawn up by the Copyright Organization. The mediators make recommendations to the parties. If no party objects within one month from the forwarding of the recommendation, all parties are considered to have accepted the recommendation. Otherwise, the dispute is settled by the Court of Appeal of Athens trying at first and last instance. These provisions shall not apply to works or other subject-matter available to the public on agreed contractual terms in such a way that members of the public may access them from a place and at a time individually chosen by them.