Competition Law

Competition law means the provisions concerning the protection of competition from undesirable business practices and from restrictions. In Greek law, a distinction is made between the law of unfair competition and free competition.

Unfair competition law prohibits business practices that are contrary to business ethics. Law 146/1914 provides a general clause for the prohibition of unfair competition. The competition of businesses is of course allowed, in order to increase their clientele and their profits, but this is subject to limits, beyond which the legislator does not allow competition to take place. Unfair competition law protects competition as an institution, competing businesses and the consumer. The main object of application is the protection of the consumer from being misled, as the consumer is often deprived of the freedom of choice and thus is not in a position to judge and decide on the products and services offered to him.

Free competition law protects competition from restrictions that businesses themselves set. The basic rule is that competition between firms is a desirable market situation, but firms often try to limit it through agreements or unilateral practices. In these cases, there are legal provisions to prevent such practices and to ensure free competition in the market. The law of free competition is included in law 3959/2011, which replaced the previous one numbered 703/1977.

Our Law Office “Konstantinos Darivas & Associates”, having long-term experience in the field of competition law and trademark protection, is active in the law of both free and unfair competition, such as unfair commercial practices, price fixing, unfair trade while we advise our clients on matters of distribution and compliance with European legislation on vertical agreements. Our partners have filed numerous lawsuits involving widespread and non-unfair trade practices that have resulted in positive decisions.

We have all the necessary scientific knowledge and experience in order to undertake any case assigned to us by our clients, regarding: